Method and system of controlling lighting fixture

• US 20070018795A1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronald Paul Harwood
• Original Assignee: Ronald Paul Harwood
• Inventors: Harwood, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.20
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

Method and system of controlling lighting fixtures. The lighting fixtures being associated with controllable devices having features for emitting light. The control thereof may be based on a show schedule or other features used to designate desired operation of the lighting fixtures.

Claims

1. A lighting system, the system comprising:

a number of lighting fixtures;

a lighting control application configured to facilitate emitting instructional signals for instructing operation of the lighting fixtures; and

wherein the lighting fixtures are instructed to continue operating until further instructions changing the operation thereof are received.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more instructional features for providing a continuous stream of instructions to one or more of the lighting fixtures based on signals received from the application.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the instructional features are software applications operation on the lighting fixtures.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the instructional features are software applications operating on a dongle connected to the lighting fixtures.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the application and instructional features communicate through wireless transmissions.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the instructional features are configured to continuously emit an instruction set associated with instructing operation of the one or more lighting fixtures to the lighting fixtures until a new instruction set associated with changing operation of the one or more lighting fixtures is received from the console.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the application is configured to emit signals for instructing operation of one or more of the lighting fixtures only if an operation thereof is to be changed.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the application is configured to emit telemetry signals for use in verifying operation of one of more of the lighting fixtures.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the application is configured to emit the telemetry signals during periods when the instruction signals are not being emitted.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the application is configured to take corrective action based on whether operation of the lighting fixtures is verified.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring the lighting fixtures to operate according to instructions carried in the commands stream until subsequent instructions changing the operation thereof are received.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing an instructional feature to facilitate continued operation of the lighting fixtures in the absence of the command stream.

11. A method for use in controlling lighting fixtures, the method comprising:

determining changes in operation of one or more of the lighting fixtures; and

limiting broadcasting of a command stream associated with controlling operations of the lighting fixtures until changes in the operation thereof are determined.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising broadcasting the command stream only to the lighting fixtures having operations which are to be changed.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising verifying proper execution of instructions associated with the command stream.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating an alert upon failure to verify execution of the instructions associated with the command stream.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising re-broadcasting the command stream upon failure to verify execution of the instructions associated with the command stream.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising logging an error message upon failure to verify execution of the instructions associated with the command stream.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising homing one or more of the fixtures upon failure to verify execution of the instructions associated with the command stream.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising adjusting operation of one or more of the lighting fixtures upon failure to verify execution of the instructions associated with the command stream.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising analyzing a show schedule for changes in operation and generating the command stream to include instructions associated with the changes in operation.