User's Manual

12 Introduction
Controller. See the
i.LON SmartServer 2.0 User's Guide for more information
about the SmartServer.
Luminaires and Street Light Controllers
Each street light in an intelligent street light network must be able to
communicate over a L
ONWORKS power line communications channel. Thus, each
luminaire must include a L
ONWORKS power line communications chip (such as
an Echelon Power Line Smart Transceiver). If the luminaire does not already
include power line communications, you can add a street light controller
1
to
either the luminaire or the street light pole to provide power line
communications.
A luminaire in a street lighting network remains on until it is commissioned by
the Segment Controller. After it is commissioned, the luminaire turns on or off
based on the schedule defined for it by the Segment Controller.
Street Light Bridge Modules
A Street Light Bridge module is a power line channel device that extends the
communications range of the Segment Controller. A Street Light Bridge module
uses the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless
personal area network standard 802.15.4 for radio frequency (RF)
communications to allow it to bypass service distribution transformers and
extend the street lighting network.
The primary function of a Street Light Bridge module is act as a repeater for the
street lighting network. A Street Light Bridge module can repeat network
packets on the power line channel, an RF channel, or both. The Segment
Controller determines both the route and channel type that the Street Light
Bridge module should use for repeating.
Figure 2 on page 13 shows a simple repeating chain that could be used to relay a
network management command from the Segment Controller to a target device
(a luminaire in this case, but it could be a Street Light Bridge module). In this
example, the repeating chain consists of Repeating Device 1 (a Street Light
Bridge module), which relays the message to Repeating Device 2 (a repeating-
enabled luminaire), which relays the command to Repeating Device 3 (a Street
Light Bridge module), which relays the message to the target device (a
luminaire). A luminaire enabled for repeating would use power line repeating. A
Street Light Bridge module could use power line repeating or forward the
message using an RF channel to another Street Light Bridge module.
1
Street light controllers that provide power line communications are available from companies such
as Superior Electronic Lighting Controllers (SELC Ireland Limited), Koninklijke Philips
®
Electronics.N.V., ROMlight™ International Inc, SCS StreetLight Control Solutions, S.L., Citylone,
Luminext BV, and Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik GmbH.