Development of a distributive lighting control system using Local Operating Network

The Local Operating Network is a technology that allows intelligent devices (or nodes) such as actuators and sensors, to communicate with one another through an assortment of communication media using a standard protocol. Both distributed and peer-to-peer communications are supported between the nodes in the network and a central control system or a file server is not required. In addition, the relatively high data rate and the availability of routers permit large amount of nodes to be tapped onto a network domain while at the same time maintain high communication efficiency. Consequently, it is suitable for developing low-cost consumers and professional communication products that can be widely applied in automating buildings, factories, vehicles, home and domestic appliances. In this paper we have reported on the development of a distributive control lighting system using the LON technology. The nodes in the system (i.e. lamps, switches and the central control units) are tapped onto the network bus and are linked by logical bindings instead of complicated hardwire connections. The system we have designed is economical to build, easy to service, modify, and provides reliable communication between the lamps and the switches. These attractive features demonstrate the feasibility of using LON in building distributive control networks, as well as the potential of our lighting system in practical applications