A Sensor Network for Buildings Based on the DALI Bus

This paper discusses a method of expanding the standard DALI lighting network into a general purpose sensor network. The DALI (digital addressable lighting interface) was originally intended for communication between a controller and building lighting devices. It is a two-wire bus which allows control of individual lights on the network. A redesigned DALI controller supports both standard DALI devices and environmental sensors on the same bus, thus providing the economy of using a single bus for building lighting, HVAC and environmental monitoring and control. An IEEE 1451 TEDS and method of interfacing with the more general IEEE 1451.0 protocol is provided.