Device for controlling a plurality of lamps

• US 20060167572A1
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ERCO Leuchten GmbH
• Original Assignee: ERCO Leuchten GmbH
• Inventors: Fluss, Holger
• Application Number:
  US11/108,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

Described and shown is a device (10) for controlling a plurality of luminaires (11a, 11b, 11c) with a common signal line (13) which connects the luminaires together, at least one service unit (20) at which control commands can be issued by a user for the luminaires and at least one memory unit connected with the signal line for illumination information.

The significance is that at least one luminaire has at least three differently colored light sources, for example a red lamp, a blue lamp and a green lamp, whereby each of the three lamps has its own individually addressable switching device with which the brightness level of the respective lamp is adjustable. An input device (15) is provided at which at least one color value (Z) for the luminaires can be inputted and whereby a computer unit (16a, 16b) is provided which calculates the brightness level value of the three lamps for the inputted color value and whereby the computer unit for displaying the color value with the luminaires individually addresses the switching device and sends the brightness level values to them.

Claims

1. A device (10) for controlling a plurality of luminaires (11a, 11b, 11c) with a common signal line (13) which connects the luminaires together with at least one service unit (20) at which at least commands from a user can be called up for the luminaires, and with at least one memory unit (14) connected with the signal line for illumination information, characterized in that at least one of the luminaires has at least three differently colored light sources, for example a red lamp, a blue lamp and a green lamp, whereby each of the three lamps is associated with its own individually addressable switching device with which the brightness level of the respective lamp is adjustable, whereby an input unit (15) is provided at which at least one color value (Z) for the luminaires can be inputted and whereby the computer unit for the outputting of the color value (Z) by the luminaires individually addresses the switching devices and at least sends the brightness level values to the switching devices.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the color values (Z), starting with a lamp having a starting color value (A), especially before inputting of the color value (Z), is reached within a user-adjustable time (target time (t_z)).

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized I that the computer unit and/or the memory unit subdivides the target time into a plurality of time intervals (fading times (t₁, t₁, t₃ . . . )) and between the starting color value (A) and the target color value (Z) a corresponding plurality of intermediate color values and/or associated intermediate brightness level values are calculated and the intermediate brightness level values which are calculated and the brightness level values which follow corresponding to the target color value are transmitted within the time interval and individually addressed to the switching devices.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the time interval is shorter than 10 seconds.

5. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the time interval is shorter than 5 seconds.

6. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the time interval is shorter than 2 seconds.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the input unit (15) is a separate device from the service unit (20).

8. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the input unit (15) has a color value display 25a, 25b) for a plurality of color values, especially all color values which can be outputted, whereby the target color value (Z) can be selected from the color value display.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the color value display is a color circle (25a), a color pallet (25b) or a color standard table.

10. The device according to claim 8 characterized in that the color value display is provided with a cursor (26) which can be controlled by means of a positioning device, for example a mouse, to move along the color value display by changing its cursor position.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the computer unit (16a, 16b) and/or the memory unit (14) responds to the cursor position representing a color value.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the computer unit and/or the memory unit directly compute, from the color value represented by the cursor position, approximately in real time, brightness level values and transmit these directly, approximately in real time, individually addressed, to the switching devices.

13. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the color value is calculated from the cursor position in real time.

14. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the color value is calculated from the cursor position only after actuation of an actuating element, for example, the left-hand button of a mouse.

15. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the input unit (15) can input a plurality of color values (color stations).

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the input unit (16) can request the desired number of color values (Z) to be inputted and/or one after the other the plurality of color values (Z) from the user.

17. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the plurality of color values (color stations) can be combined into a color process or course from the user selected sequence.

18. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the color process is configured to recycle continuously and the recycle duration can be selected by the user.

19. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the information (brightness level values) as to the color process can be stored in the memory unit.

20. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the memory unit (14) and/or the computer unit (16a, 16b) sends corresponding brightness level values one after another individually addressed to the switching devices for displaying the color process.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that the computer unit and/or the memory unit calculates between two color stations (A, Z) a color process or course of a plurality of intermediate brightness values and the intermediate brightness value, especially in short time intervals, are sent to the switching devices of the luminaire as individually addressed for displaying the intermediate color values by the luminaire.

22. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching devices communicate by the DALI-protocol with the memory unit and/or the computer unit (16a, 16b).

23. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the individual light sources of the luminaires can be assembled into groups.

24. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal line has an interface (19) which is operatively connectable with a computer (15).

25. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that the input unit (15) is formed by the computer.

26. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that at least a part (16a) of the computer unit is formed by the computer (15).

27. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that the interface (19) is arranged on a housing of the service unit (20).

28. The device according to claim 26, characterized in that the interface (19) is freely accessible in a mounted state of the service unit (20) and especially in a wall-mounted state of the service unit.

29. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that the interface is arranged on the underside (23) of the service unit in a mounted state thereof.

30. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that the interface is a USB interface.

31. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least part (16b) of the computer unit and the memory unit (14) form a single component.