Wireless control system and method thereof

• US 20050286646A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: City Theatrical LLC
• Original Assignee: City Theatrical Incorporated
• Inventors: Kleissler, Paul, Fails, Gary, Dunn, Lauren E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,432,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/00 Code division multiplex systems for frequency hopping H04B1/713

Abstract

A wireless control system and a method for controlling devices (e.g., luminaires, dimmers, effects devices, stepper motors, and the like) used in entertainment lighting applications is disclosed. Embodiments disclose a modular transceiver utilizing a wireless broadcasting transmission technique and a wireless control system where an interface between a controller and controlled devices is facilitated using the transceivers.

Claims

1. A wireless transceiver, comprising:

a means for coupling to a source of data and/or commands formatted using an industry-standard control protocol;

a protocol converter;

a transceiver module using a wireless broadcasting transmission technique; and

a control module administering the converter and the transceiver module.

2. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the industry-standard control protocol is selected from a group consisting of the DMX512 protocol, the Remote Device Management (RDM) protocol, and the Advanced Control Network (ACN) protocol.

3. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the converter converts the industry-standard control protocol of inputted data and/or commands in a transmission protocol compatible with the wireless broadcasting transmission technique and converts the transmission protocol of received data and/or commands in the industry-standard control protocol.

4. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the transmission protocol is the RS-485 protocol.

5. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the wireless broadcasting transmission technique is Spread Spectrum Frequency Channel Hopping Radio technology and the transceiver selectively uses at least one radio channel at about 2.4 GHz.

6. The transceiver of claim 1 further comprising a means of coupling to a remote monitor of transmitted and received data and/or commands.

7. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is a portion of or coupled to at least one of:

a controller operating a plurality of devices; and

each device of the plurality of devices.

8. The transceiver of claim 7 wherein the transceiver is incorporated in the controller and each device of the plurality of devices in a form of electronic hardware and/or a computer program.

9. The transceiver of claim 7 wherein the transceiver is incorporated in the controller and each device of the plurality of devices in a form of a printed circuit board (PCB) or a plug-in unit.

10. The transceiver of claim 7 wherein devices of the plurality of devices are selected from the group consisting of luminaires, dimmers, effects devices, and stepper motors.

11. The transceiver of claim 7 wherein a device of the plurality of devices further comprises at least one of a binary coded decimal (BCD) switch for setting an address of the device, a built-in AC/DC power supply, and a pass-through connector for a wired communication link.

12. A wireless control system, comprising:

a controller using an industry-standard control protocol; and

a plurality of devices controlled using the industry-standard control protocol, wherein the controller and each device of the plurality of devices is coupled to and/or incorporates the transceiver of claim 1 broadcasting data and commands between the controller and devices of the plurality of devices.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the transceivers are adapted to communicate to one another selectively using at least one radio channel at about 2.4 GHz and Spread Spectrum Frequency Channel Hopping Radio transmission technique.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the industry-standard control protocol is selected from the group consisting of the DMX512 protocol, the Remote Device Management (RDM) protocol, and the Advanced Control Network (ACN) protocol.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising at least one of:

a remote controller using at least one of the DMX512 protocol, the RDM protocol, and the ACN protocol; and

a remote monitor of broadcasted data and/or commands, the monitor having a visual display.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the remote controller and the remote monitor are combined together to form a single apparatus.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the devices are selected from the group consisting of luminaires, dimmers, effects devices, and stepper motors.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein a device of the plurality of devices further comprises at least one of a binary coded decimal (BCD) switch for setting an address of the device, a built-in AC/DC power supply, and a pass-through connector for a wired communication link.

19. A method of operating a plurality of devices controlled using an industry-standard control protocol, comprising:

providing a controller using the industry-standard control protocol;

providing the controller and the devices with the transceivers of claim 1;

converting the industry-standard control protocol of data and/or commands to be broadcasted in a transmission protocol compatible with a wireless broadcasting transmission technique;

converting the transmission protocol of received data and/or commands in the industry-standard control protocol; and

broadcasting the data and/or commands between the controller and the devices using the wireless broadcasting transmission technique.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the industry-standard control protocol is selected from the group consisting of the DMX512 protocol, the Remote Device Management (RDM) protocol, and the Advanced Control Network (ACN) protocol.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

controlling the devices using at least one remote controller using the DMX512 protocol, the RDM protocol, or the ACN protocol.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the transmission protocol is the RS485 protocol.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

monitoring the broadcasted data and/or commands using a remote monitor having a visual display.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

broadcasting the data and/or commands using at least one radio channel at about 2.4 GHz and using Spread Spectrum Frequency Channel Hopping Radio transmission technique.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the devices are selected from the group consisting of luminaires, dimmers, effects devices, and stepper motors.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein the wireless broadcasting transmission technique is Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

broadcasting the data and/or commands using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology.