Renesas, Virtual Extension showcase DALI demo kit based on Lighting MCU
The kit is based on Renesas’ RL78/I1A MCU, which combines in a single chip LED control, power supply control, and communication functions required in lighting systems. These features are complemented by Virtual Extension’s innovative wireless mesh technology, enabling companies in the lighting industry to include intelligent controls in their products while reducing energy consumption.
DALI is an open standard that has seen significant success in Europe and continues to be adopted by the lighting industry, with over 50% of dimmable ballasts in the region supporting it already. Managing lighting in a commercial building using DALI is less expensive and more efficient than controlling it via a building automation system. It is also wireless-enabled, helping companies to overcome numerous obstacles for implementing DALI communications in their existing lighting infrastructure. As a result, the wireless feature of DALI facilitates an economical upgrade of any commercial building to provide a full-featured, digital lighting control system.
Against this background, Renesas Electronics and its alliance partner Virtual Extension are releasing the wireless DALI demonstration kit based on the RL78/I1A lighting MCU. The solution is built with a wireless gateway and eight wireless nodes, all based on the RL78/I1A MCU which integrates the DALI function on a single chip. The gateway connects to the DALI Master controller to send and receive standard DALI commands. Each of the three LED channels in every wireless node has its own DALI address, which is used by the DALI Master for the remote and wireless control of each LED individually or for broadcasting.
The system demonstrates wireless communications between DALI devices and particularly highlights the key benefits of Virtual Extension’s mesh topology. These include quick deployment, a high level of robustness, easy maintenance and low total cost of ownership (TCO). Further advantages associated to the Evaluation Kit include short and deterministic latency, scalability and low power consumption, all resulting from Virtual Extension’s VEmesh synchronized flooding technology. The RL78/I1A controls DALI communications, wireless network control, PFC control and driving multi-channel high power LEDs.
The wireless network uses Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) and operates in the ISM/SRD sub-1Giga frequency band of 915MHz in US and 868MHz in Europe. Complying with European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ESTI) regulations on Adaptive Frequency Agility (AFA) and Listen Before Talk (LBT), the gateway and the nodes can make use of the maximum allowed transmission power. With 15 dBm output RF power, the range between any pair of wireless devices can reach 100m indoor and 500m outdoor. And this kit represents a mesh network in which each network element serves also as a repeater, the network range can span to be tenfold or larger.
At Strategies in Light Europe, Renesas will be showing live demos of the kit on stand A31, while Yariv Oren, CEO of Virtual Extension, will discuss wireless networks and DALI in his presentation on 19 September at 1:30pm during the Networks and Controls session.
Virtual Extension plans to release the evaluation kit during Q4; the kit will also be obtainable through this company.
For more information, visit www.renesas.eu and www.virtual-extension.com.
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