COLOR CONTROL SYSTEM, INTERFACE, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE OUTPUT OF LIGHT SOURCES

• US 20110127930A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Theatre Controls Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Theatre Controls Incorporated
• Inventors: Bennette, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,853,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/312
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

Systems, interfaces, and methods for controlling a luminaire. The luminaire includes a plurality of light sources or emitters corresponding to different characteristics of light. Color controls corresponding to pre-defined characteristics are set or modified by one or more dials, faders, or similar interface devices. Each of the color controls correspondingly controls the output of one or more of the light sources. A separation between the preset characteristic for each color control and the actual characteristic of each light source is calculated. An output value for each light source that is required to generate the selected characteristic is then calculated and stored in memory. When one or more color controls are selected, the output values of each light source required to reproduce the desired characteristic is determined, and the light sources in the luminaire are driven at the corresponding output values.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the output of a first light source and of a second light source, both of which being within a light fixture, the method comprising:

receiving a control input signal having a control level and corresponding to a control input characteristic;

determining a first separation value based on a first separation between the control input characteristic and an output characteristic associated with the first light source;

determining a second separation value based on a second separation between the control input characteristic and an output characteristic associated with the second light source;

setting a first light source output value for the first light source based on the first separation value;

setting a second light source output value for the second light source based on the second separation value; and

controlling an output of the first light source based on the first light source output value and an output of the second light source based on the second light source output value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second light source output values are inversely related to the first and second separation values, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the light fixture includes at least a third light source and a fourth light source.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining which of the first light source and the second light source corresponds to the smallest separation from the control input characteristic, wherein the light source corresponding to the smallest separation from the control input characteristic has the largest light source output value for the control input signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control input characteristic is the same as the output characteristic.

6. A method of controlling the output of a light source within a light fixture, the method comprising:

receiving a first control input signal having a first control level and corresponding to a first control input characteristic;

receiving a second control input signal having a second control level and corresponding to a second control input characteristic;

determining a first separation value associated with a first separation between the first control input characteristic and an output characteristic of the light source;

determining a second separation value associated with a second separation between the second control input characteristic and the output characteristic of the light source;

setting a first light source output value based on the first separation value;

setting a second light source output value based on the second separation value; and

controlling an output of the light source based on the first light source output value and the second light source output value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first light source output value for the light source is inversely related to the first separation value, and the second light source output value for the light source is inversely related to the second separation value.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the light fixture includes four or more light sources.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising normalizing the output of the light source based on the first light source output value and the second light source output value.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising scaling the first light source output value based on the first control level, and scaling the second light source output value based on the second control level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein scaling the first light source output value includes multiplying the first light source output value by the first control level, and scaling the second light source output value includes multiplying the second light source output value by the second control level.

12. A system for controlling the output of a light source within a light fixture, the system comprising:

a first control input device configured to control a first control level associated with a first control input characteristic;

a second control input device configured to control a second control level associated with a second control input characteristic;

a controller configured to

determine a first separation value associated with a first separation between the first control input characteristic and an output characteristic of the light source;

determine a second separation value associated with a second separation between the second control input characteristic and the output characteristic of the light source;

determine a first light source output value based on the first separation value;

determine a second light source output value based on the second separation value; and

control an output of the light source based on the first light source output value and the second light source output value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the light fixture includes four or more light sources.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first light source output value for the light source is inversely related to the first separation value, and the second light source output value for the light source is inversely related to the second separation value.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to normalize the output of the light source based on the first light source output value and the second light source output value.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to scale the first light source output value based on the first control level, and scale the second light source output value based on the second control level.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to scale the first light source output value by multiplying the first light source output value by the first control level, and scale the second light source output value by multiplying the second light source output value by the second control level.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the first control input device and the second control input device are one of a dial, a fader, or a graphical interface.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the light source includes a light emitting diode (“

LED”

).

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the LED is one of a red LED, a red-orange LED, an amber LED, a green LED, a cyan LED, a blue LED, and an indigo LED.