EnOcean at Lightfair 2019: New self-powered sensors provide digital assets for smart lighting and IoT

At booth #3533, EnOcean presents the latest developments in its energy harvesting wireless technology for maintenance-free smart LED lighting and building controls. Show highlight is the industry’s first self-powered Bluetooth® motion detector.

Salt Lake City, UT/Philadelphia, PA – April 10, 2019

At Lightfair 2019 (May 21–23, Philadelphia, PA), EnOcean (booth #3533) will be presenting new solar-powered sensor solutions that further drive the use of maintenance-free wireless controls in smart lighting systems and digitized buildings. The world’s leading developer of energy harvesting wireless technology will be highlighting the ready-to-use self-powered Bluetooth^® motion detector as well as prototypes of solar-powered sensor modules for a wide range of building data. Due to a standardized form factor based on the modular PTM switch system, the sensor modules allow simple product integration. In addition, EnOcean will be showing its Easyfit portfolio of self-powered lighting control solutions based on the EnOcean standard at 902 MHz.

In keeping with advancing digitization of LED lighting and buildings, EnOcean is continuously further developing its self-powered wireless technology. At Lightfair, the company will be exhibiting the latest developments in its energy harvesting wireless Easyfit LED controls and Dolphin modules, optimized for many self-powered smart control applications. At a glance, the presented devices are:

·         Solar-powered motion detector for Bluetooth^® systems (EMDCB)

·         Battery-free light switches for Bluetooth^® systems (ESRPB/EDRPB and EWSSB/EWSDB)

·         Prototypes of solar-powered sensors following the established PTM switch form factor for Bluetooth^® and EnOcean systems; covering temperature, humidity or activity tracking

·         Solar-powered temperature & humidity sensors for EnOcean systems (ETHSU)

·         Next generation of DLC-qualified Easyfit controls for LED installations and HVAC control via EnOcean

Self-powered Bluetooth® motion detector

The solar-powered Easyfit motion detector for Bluetooth® lighting systems from EnOcean (EMDCB) is the first of its kind on the market integrating EnOcean’s energy harvesting technology. It adds to the battery-free wireless Easyfit switches for Bluetooth® lighting systems in US design (ESRPB/EDRPB) and European design (EWSSB/EWSDB). The sensor uses a passive infrared (PIR) sensor to detect motion and integrates a solar cell to harvest ambient light. The solar cell generates the energy for the sensor’s operation making it self-powered and maintenance-free. An energy storage element stores the harvested energy bridging a period of time when no light is available to ensure an uninterrupted operation. An integrated NFC interface (Near Field Communication) allows easy commissioning via the NFC functionality of smartphones and tablets or via dedicated NFC readers.

The Easyfit sensor delivers data on room occupancy and light intensity via Bluetooth^®. This data lays the foundation for smart services such as demand-based lighting control or room occupancy management, making LED lighting systems an integrated part of smart buildings and smart homes. OEMs can easily include the white label finished EMDCB in their product portfolio.

Solar-powered sensor modules for easy product integration

With the modular PTM switch module, EnOcean has established an industry standard and the plug & play core piece of battery-free switches. As a highlight at the show, EnOcean will be presenting samples of a new generation of solar-powered, maintenance-free sensor modules. The special feature of these sensor modules is that they have the same form factor as the PTM switch module, including the standardized mounting interfaces. Therefore, OEMs can easily integrate the sensors into different switch frames. They only have to develop front plates adapted to the particular frame design.

Data foundation for the digitization of buildings

The sensors can be used in many different ways for typical building automation tasks, for example, temperature and moisture detection or status messages from doors and windows. They can also supply information on the current internal energy level as well as details about the light available to the solar cell. A module variant with an integrated acceleration sensor is under development for innovative IoT applications. It can incorporate almost unlimited digital assets into the Internet of Things by acting as an “activity tracker.” In typical lighting situations in offices and smart homes, the sensors obtain all the energy they need from the integrated solar cell and remain active for up to four days even without a new supply of power, thanks to an energy store.

“The new solar-powered sensor modules perfectly add to our self-powered wireless Easyfit controls portfolio,” says Troy Davis, Sales Director at EnOcean Inc. “With our reliable and flexible technology, we support our OEM customers in realizing a fast time to market for wireless and maintenance-free solutions that bring enormous benefit and short payback periods to digitization projects and building usage.”

The new family of solar-powered modules will support both the EnOcean wireless standard and Bluetooth^® and will also have an NFC interface for easy commissioning.

Portfolio of self-powered lighting control in EnOcean standard

At booth #3533, visitors to Lightfair can also experience EnOcean’s Easyfit portfolio, which covers a full range of DLC-qualified wireless sensors, switches, LED fixture controllers and a commissioning tool for lighting control based on the EnOcean standard at 902 MHz (ISO/IEC 14543-3-11). The DLC-qualified EnOcean LED control portfolio consists of LEDRU and LEDDU fixture/zone controllers, self-powered, wireless light switches, occupancy and light level sensors as well as the Navigan™ remote commissioning software.

Easyfit wireless control solutions can be easily added to existing buildings during an upgrade to LED lighting. It is, for example, used in schools around the US to create smart lighting solutions that reduce energy consumption and create a more productive and positive environment at fastest payback periods and lowest maintenance costs.