Lighting in Design Q4 2023

Blu2Light leads lighting tech German illumination master Vossloh-Schwabe has perfected its Blu2Light ecosystem that extends into exciting new applications – at home and the office.

W ith lighting evolving on a seemingly monthly basis, it is important to stay at the forefront, says Christian Lade from Vossloh-Schwabe’s Business Development unit. “When developing Blu2Light, I had three major things in mind. The highest wireless security for the integration in Internet of Things (IoT) building applications. An open system based on Bluetooth Mesh. At a tiny price point, we also need very easy operation so that installers can use the commissioning app quite easily.” Vossloh-Schwabe, who invests significant funding into its Research & Development annually, came up with a novel approach, explains Lade. “We developed the Blu2Light Bluetooth Mesh net control system, a truly open system for IoT builders with future guarantees as all system parameters are provided via an open neutral interface on the gateway. This extends beyond lighting to includes various IoT BMS parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO 2 and the sending/receiving of Bluetooth beacon messages”. Lade stresses that it is “a lighting control system that has been developed with more than 20 years’ worth of knowledge in building lighting controls. For that reason, Blu2Light covers all basic standards such as DALI and DMX, as well as new wireless driver generations”. One of the first spaces to utilise Blu2Light technology is The Cube in Berlin, Germany. “It is an office building that is innovative in every way,”

says Lade. “The Cube is a smart building of the future. Intelligent technology will be capable of learning from its users and will adapt to suit their individual requirements.” Vossloh-Schwabe’s technicians helped design an app that allows The Cube’s tenants to perform tasks such as booking meeting rooms, adjusting individual light levels and room temperatures, and even unlocking doors – all made possible via Blu2Light, says Lade. “The components are interconnected via a mesh network in which the individual sensors serve as both transmitters and receivers. Every luminaire with a Blu2Light component also comes with an integrated beacon function that makes it possible to send and receive messages from over 7 000 luminaires installed in The Cube.” An aspect of Blu2Light that the team at Vossloh Schwabe is most proud of is keeping the Blu2Light ecosystem open. “You can build any customised solution that you like. Download the gateway documentation and start building – with the open protocol, you can create applications that are beyond lighting,” explains Lade, who concludes, “Our Blu2Light system can be used for simple solutions, or something more complex, like The Cube. You can easily connect more than 10 000 devices and run it from an app that has been built entirely for your system.”

The Cube in Berlin has more than 7 000 Blu2-Light- enabled light fittings installed in it.

www.vossloh-schwabe.com/en

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LiD Q4 - 2023