Networks and controls for solid-state lighting (SSL), enabling in many instances what is increasingly being called smart lighting, were among the prominent stories as LightFair International (LFI) got started in New York City. The announcements share the common thread of the fact that LEDs are inherently controllable light sources but illustrate the fragmentation that remains in the SSL networks area. Companies making significant announcements included Samsung, CSR, Bridgelux, Avi-on, LED Engin, and Marvell.
Samsung
Samsung got things started with a Monday night press conference where the company announced a platform initiative focused on smart lighting that it claims will ultimately deliver an ecosystem around which manufacturers can quickly develop connected luminaires and lamps for SSL networks. Samsung`s message was centered around the company`s strength in areas such as microprocessors (or microcontrollers) and memory as important synergies for LEDs in a smart lighting system.
Samsung plans to have a complete reference design by the end of this year with support for networks including ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, along with an operating system and application programming interfaces that allow easy customization of the technology. Samsung executive vice president Jacob Tarn said, "Smart connected lighting will be our key message for LFI 2015." Tarn positioned the offering as building blocks that developers can easily piece together.
The Samsung offering, however, sounds late relative to smart-lighting reference designs that have come from both semiconductor manufacturers and network-centric lighting startup companies. Daintree has long offered such technology in building block form including with ecosystem partners. And Texas Instruments (TI), among other IC vendors, has reference designs.
Presumably, Samsung`s advantage is the company`s scale and experience in other ecosystems. Tarn said it`s only 8:00 or 9:00 AM in the day in terms of smart lighting development, indicating there is plenty of time to win business. And referring to the company`s success in mobile, he said, "There is no Samsung or Apple in smart lighting today."
Marvell smart platform
Still, Samsung seemed unaware of the many development platforms available and semiconductor vendor Marvell added yet another this week for SSL networks. The company announced the 88MZ300 system-on-chip (SoC) IC that combines a microcontroller unit (MCU) along with a wireless ZigBee controller. The company said the new IC doubles the ZigBee range relative to the prior 88MZ100 IC, and reduces power consumption by 50%. The IC targets SSL and Internet of Things (IoT) applications in general and Marvell offers a complete software stack called Kinoma.
"Marvell continues to demonstrate innovation in home automation, connected lighting, and IoT with its 88MZ300 ZigBee wireless microcontroller, which leads 802.15.4 technology in both performance and cost," said Philip Poulidis, vice president and general manager of mobile and IoT business at Marvell. "Along with Kinoma and Marvell’s recently announced Smart Home Cloud Center, the 88MZ300 delivers a total solution for home automation and IoT markets. We look forward to the range of exciting new product opportunities that will be possible with the deployment of the 88MZ300.”
<Source: LEDs Magazine>
