Units supported by the BlueRange platform

Overview

The BlueRange platform provides a high level abstraction to the lower layers that deal with binary data or a number of technical representations such as e.g. unsigned uint8_t. The BlueRange platform only knows a small subset of units that is used to represent all this data so that it can be easily consumed by applications. Unifying the number of available units allows our platform to talk with all devices without having to deal with lots of conversions, e.g. from °C to °F. If a user application needs to represent units e.g. for a different locale, it must do the calculation on the client side.

Units use symbolic names like e.g. CELSIUS on the server side and in all configuration files. A client can offer different representations such as e.g. °C or textual representations such as Celsius depending on the context.

Supported Units

AMPERE: A commonly known unit of electric current. Usually abbreviated as A.
CELSIUS: All absolute temperatures are represented in degree Celsius, pay attention that the notation is not CELCIUS. The UI representation is usually °C and rather seldomly degree Celsius.
CUBIC_METERS_PER_HOUR: Used to quantify the flow of a liquid through an area such as a pipe. Commonly written as m³/h.
CUBIC_METERS: A common unit for measuring volume, especially at larger scales. Usually abbreviated as m³.
DBA: Decibel (A-weighted), e.g. used to measure noise level as perceived by the human ear. Usually abbreviated as dba.
HERTZ: A commonly known unit of frequency. Usually abbreviated as Hz.
KELVIN: Color temperatures are given in Kelvin. Temperature differences should also be given in Kelvin. The UI representation can be Kelvin or K depending on the context.
LITER: A commonly known unit of volumes. Usually abbreviated as l.
LITER_PER_HOUR: Used to quantify the flow of a liquid through an area such as a pipe. Commonly written as l/h.
LUMEN: Represents the total amount of visible light emitted by e.g. a lamp or light fixture. This is basically the amount of energy converted into visible light. A UI should represent this as lumen or just as lm.
LUX: This illuminance is e.g. measured by a ceiling sensor that measures the light reflecting from the below surface (and the surrounding environment). It will therefore measure the luminance and has to be calibrated to deliver the illuminance in lux. The UI can display the unit as lux or lx.
METER: A commonly known unit to describe a length. Usually abbreviated as m. The constant is not written as METRE.
OHM: A commonly known unit of electrical resistance. Usually abbreviated as Ω.
ON_OFF: Represents a switch or something else that can be either in an on or an off state. This is usually represented as either the text on or off or as a toggle.
PASCAL: All kinds or pressure should be given in Pascal, which can also be written as Pa. When representing an athmospheric pressure, a UI should use Hectopascal (hPa) as 1 hPA = 100 Pa = 1 mBar.
PERCENT: Can have a wide range of meanings, such as the position of a slider, the user configured brightness of a luminaire, etc,… Usually represented as %.
PPB: Parts per Billion is e.g. used to describe the amount of parts of one material inside another, e.g. the VOC concentration. Usually abbreviated as ppb.
PPM: Parts per Million is e.g. used to describe the amount of parts of one material inside another, e.g. the number of CO2 molecules in the surrounding air. Usually abbreviated as ppm.
SECOND: A commonly known unit of time. It’s the base unit to describe a duration. Usually abbreviated as s.
VOLT: Voltages are given in Volt, and the symbol V can be used by a UI.
WATT_HOURS: A measurement of energy. Usually abbreviated as Wh.
WATT: A commonly known unit of power. Usually abbreviated as W.

This list of units is not exhaustive and will be extended from time to time. Do not use other units without first contacting us so that we can agree on the correct extension.