Replacing wireless-communication enabled components in a luminaire

1. A system of replaceable components comprising a plurality of components connected in a wireless network under a collective ID, and at least one unconnected component available to join the network, wherein the components are divided amongst a plurality of luminaires, each respective one of the luminaires comprising a respective subgroup of the components including at least one lamp, and each of the subgroups having an individual respective subgroup ID identifying the respective subgroup, and wherein at least a first one of the components is configured to automatically perform operations of:

detecting whether a previously-present one of said components from the same respective one of said subgroups as the first component is missing from the network; and

in response to the detection that the previously-present component is missing from the network, causing the unconnected component to be joined to the wireless network under said collective ID, and to be assigned to the same respective subgroup as the first component under the same respective subgroup ID,

wherein the first component is one of said plurality of components already connected in the network, and is configured to detect that the unconnected component is available to join the network, the first component being configured to perform said causing of the unconnected component to join the network in response to detecting that the new component is available to join the network and detecting that the previously-present component is missing from the network,

wherein the first component is further configured to detect whether the new component is estimated to be within a predefined spatial proximity of the first component by checking whether a signal is received from the new component via a constrained signaling channel whereby propagation of the signal is limited by a physical property of the luminaire,

wherein if the signal is received the new component is determined to be within said spatial proximity, at least said assigning of the new component to the respective subgroup is performed on condition of detecting that the new component is estimated to be within said spatial proximity, and

said physical property of the respective luminaire comprises a power supply circuit powering the components of the respective subgroup, and said constrained signaling channel is via modulation of a voltage and/or current of the power supply circuit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said causing of the new component to join the network, by the first component, is also conditional on the first component detecting that the new component is estimated to be within said spatial proximity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first component is configured to perform said detection of whether the new component is within said spatial proximity by:

obtaining an indication of distance between the first lamp and the new component based on a measurement of received signal strength or time-of-flight of a signal emitted by the new component, and determining whether the new component is within said predetermined proximity based on said indication.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the signal is a visible light, invisible light, radio, heat, audio or ultrasound signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the constrained signalling channel is via coded light, ultrasound and/or radio, and said physical property of the respective luminaire comprises at least part of a housing of the luminaire which at least partially blocks the propagation of the light, radio or ultrasound signal, the signaling channel thereby being constrained.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first component is configured to perform said detecting of the new component by receiving a message from the new component via any of:

a signal modulated into a voltage and/or current of a power supply circuit powering the respective subgroup of components in the respective luminaire; or

coded light, radio or ultrasound, or NFC.

7. The method of any of claim 1 , wherein the first component is configured to perform said detection that the previously-present component is missing by attempting to communicate with the previously-present component via any of:

modulation of a voltage and/or current of a power supply circuit powering the respective subgroup of components in the respective luminaire; or

coded light, radio, ultrasound or NFC.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first component is a lamp.

9. A first lamp for use as one of a system of replaceable components comprising a plurality of components connected in a wireless network, and at least one unconnected component available to join the network, wherein the components are to be divided amongst a plurality of luminaires with each luminaire comprising a respective subgroup of the components including at least one lamp and with each subgroup having a respective subgroup ID identifying the respective subgroup within the network, and wherein the first lamp is configured to perform operations of:

detecting an unconnected one of the components available to join the network;

detecting whether a previously-present one of said components from the same respective one of said subgroups as the first component is missing from the network; and

in response to the detection that the previously-present component is missing from the network, causing the unconnected component to be joined to the wireless network under a collective ID, and to be assigned to the same respective subgroup as the first component under the same respective subgroup ID,

wherein the first component is one of said plurality of components already connected in the network, and is configured to detect that the unconnected component is available to join the network, the first component being configured to perform said causing of the unconnected component to join the network in response to detecting that the new component is available to join the network and detecting that the previously-present component is missing from the network,

wherein the first component is further configured to detect whether the new component is estimated to be within a predefined spatial proximity of the first component by checking whether a signal is received from the new component via a constrained signaling channel whereby propagation of the signal is limited by a physical property of the luminaire,

wherein if the signal is received the new component is determined to be within said spatial proximity, at least said assigning of the new component to the respective subgroup is performed on condition of detecting that the new component is estimated to be within said spatial proximity, and

said physical property of the respective luminaire comprises a power supply circuit powering the components of the respective subgroup, and said constrained signaling channel is via modulation of a voltage and/or current of the power supply circuit.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program product for operating a first component as one of a system of replaceable components comprising a plurality of components connected in a wireless network and at least one unconnected component available to join the network, wherein the components are to be divided amongst a plurality of luminaires with each luminaire comprising a respective subgroup of the components including at least one lamp and with each subgroup having a respective subgroup ID identifying the respective subgroup within the network, and wherein the computer-program product comprises code configured so as when run on one or more processors in the first component performs operations of:

detecting whether a previously-present one of said components from the same respective one of said subgroups as the first component is missing from the network; and

in response to the detection that the previously-present component is missing from the network, causing the unconnected component to be joined to the wireless network under a collective ID, and to be assigned to the same respective subgroup as the first component under the same respective subgroup ID

wherein the first component is one of said plurality of components already connected in the network, and is configured to detect that the unconnected component is available to join the network, the first component being configured to perform said causing of the unconnected component to join the network in response to detecting that the new component is available to join the network and detecting that the previously-present component is missing from the network,

wherein the first component is further configured to detect whether the new component is estimated to be within a predefined spatial proximity of the first component by checking whether a signal is received from the new component via a constrained signaling channel whereby propagation of the signal is limited by a physical property of the luminaire,

wherein if the signal is received the new component is determined to be within said spatial proximity, at least said assigning of the new component to the respective subgroup is performed on condition of detecting that the new component is estimated to be within said spatial proximity, and

said physical property of the respective luminaire comprises a power supply circuit powering the components of the respective subgroup, and said constrained signaling channel is via modulation of a voltage and/or current of the power supply circuit.

11. A method performed in a system of replaceable components comprising a plurality of components connected in wireless a network, and at least one unconnected component available to join the network, wherein the components are divided amongst a plurality of luminaires, each luminaire comprising a respective subgroup of the components including at least one lamp, and each subgroup having a respective subgroup ID, and wherein according to said method:

a first one of the components automatically detects whether a previously-present one of said components in the same subgroup as the first component is missing from the network; and

in response to the detection that the previously-present component is missing from the network, said first component automatically causes the unconnected component to be joined to the wireless network under a collective ID, and to be assigned to the same respective subgroup as the first component under the same respective subgroup ID

wherein the first component is one of said plurality of components already connected in the network, and is configured to detect that the unconnected component is available to join the network, the first component being configured to perform said causing of the unconnected component to join the network in response to detecting that the new component is available to join the network and detecting that the previously-present component is missing from the network,

wherein the first component is further configured to detect whether the new component is estimated to be within a predefined spatial proximity of the first component by checking whether a signal is received from the new component via a constrained signaling channel whereby propagation of the signal is limited by a physical property of the luminaire,

wherein if the signal is received the new component is determined to be within said spatial proximity, at least said assigning of the new component to the respective subgroup is performed on condition of detecting that the new component is estimated to be within said spatial proximity, and

said physical property of the respective luminaire comprises a power supply circuit powering the components of the respective subgroup, and said constrained signaling channel is via modulation of a voltage and/or current of the power supply circuit.