I was thinking more about modulating the DC feed to the LEDs but as you point out the data and power circuits are going to have to come together at some point and I suppose the solutions to that problem are isolation and grounding. Once standards are developed for both it should go okay. Its possible to do it safely, even if the switches have to be on a fibre backbone, or some such.
I suppose you could have a CAT5 switch in every section of a building which feeds data to every light socket via means of CAT5, but uses a fiber backbone for the long haul back to a central point, that would prevent lightning from passing any further past that room or section of a building. But I would imagine maintenance after a lightning strike or power surge would then require the complete disassembly of the entire roof to remove all of the dead and melted CAT5 and power cabling, not too different to what would normally happen if a normal light socket got struck by lightning to be honest, definitely more costly however.
I think that's what the patents are for. They don't use BPL. The light fixtures are located in dropped ceilings. Above the ceiling each light fixture has another light sensor. The data comes from yet another lightbulb even higher above the dropped ceiling. Those really high up lightbulbs use WiFi.
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=(%22building+illumination+apparatus%22.TTL.)&OS=ttl/%22building+illumination+apparatus%22&RS=TTL/%22building+illumination+apparatus%22 Go there and search for "BPL" and "BOPL"
[0088]The lights shown in FIG. 5, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, will have AC wiring with data carriers such as S-BPL, and static locations encoded into the system. Thus a person 190 entering a hallway 192 with a communications badge 170 could use only those lights needed for his travel. As the person progresses toward a destination, the lights behind may be no longer needed and so may be programmed to turn off.
Power, which may be either AC or DC current is coupled through a power line bridge 150 with data from a network cable input, for example. The source of the data is not critical to the operation of the present invention, but may include various computer outputs such as might, for exemplary purposes, include control processor output or network connections such as commonly found on Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN) or through the Internet. In accord with one embodiment, the wiring between power line bridge 150 and LED light source 161 is shielded by passing through a conduit or the like, defining a Shielded Broadband-over-Power-Line (S-BPL) connection that is both resistant to interfering communications and also produces almost no radiant energy.
And:
[0085]As seen in FIG. 4, the electrical wiring in the hallways and/or rooms may include BOPL.
At least they are considering using shielded power cabling, aka "S-BPL", but I would think using WiFi would be a wiser choice, one lousy installation of S-BPL can wipe out half a building with radio interference, and what happens to the radio signal once it reaches the end of the line? aka the light socket? are they going to be installing shielded light sockets too? I Hardly think so.
CQ, CQ, CQ DX, CQ DX, this is Executive One Foxtrot calling CQ DX.
Just static, must be the lights.
Hi Hi
Back in good old 1999, EPIC was requesting FOI releases about the use of Intel Serial numbers by government angencies, no doubt about privacy concerns.
Actually it was 1993 when EPIC requested FOI.
Nevermind, it was 1993 when EPIC was concerned about the Clipper Chip installed in phone handsets.
Back in good old 1999, EPIC was requesting FOI releases about the use of Intel Serial numbers by government angencies, no doubt about privacy concerns.
Actually it was 1993 when EPIC requested FOI.
"I am, therefore I am." -- Akira