LIGHT ORGAN

• US 3,806,919 A
• Filed: 03/15/1971
• Issued: 04/23/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David L. Comey
• Original Assignee: David L. Comey
• Inventors: Comey, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US05/124,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 340/148,171,366B
• US Class Current: 340/815.46
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 17/00 Apparatus for performing colour-music

Abstract

A system for energizing lights in response to sound intensity includes a microphone feeding a detector amplifier stage which generates a signal representative of sound intensity. The output of the amplifier stage controls the switching of a phasecontrolled power switch connected across one of two lamp filaments connected in series. As the intensity of one lamp increases with sound intensity, the intensity of the other decreases. Automatic gain control circuitry adjusts the gain of the amplifier stages such that the lighting effect is substantially the same response for sound changes, and it is independent of ambient sound level.

Claims

1. In a light organ for modulating light intensity in response to changes in intensity of sound, the combination comprising:

an electrical power supply, electric load means in circuit with said power supply, means productive of electrical signals representative of instantaneous sound intensity, detectoramplifier means for converting said sound representative signals into pulse signals of individually varying widths, phasecontrolled switch means in circuit with said detector-amplifier means and said load means and operable to control power supplied to said load means from said power supply in accordance with the signal output of said detector-amplifier means; and

control means in feedback circuit with said detector-amplifier means and said switch means for automatically varying the gain of said detectoramplifier means in inverse relation to average sound intensity.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said load means comprises an incandescent lamp, and said phase-controlled switch means controls energization of said load means for varying time intervals to correspondingly vary the illumination intensity thereof.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said load means comprises at least two independent load elements in series circuit relation, said switch means being in parallel circuit relation with one thereof whereby energization of said one load element is inversely proportional to said signal output and energization of the other thereof as directly proportional to said signal output.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said load means comprises at least two independent incandescent lamps in series circuit relation, said switch means being in parallel circuit with at least one thereof whereby energization of said one lamp is inversely proportional to said signal output and energization of the other thereof is directly proportional to said signal output.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said phase-controlled switch means comprises a silicon controlled rectifier.

6. The invention of claim 1, in which said power supply comprises full wave alternating current rectifier circuit means, and said switch means is periodically operable to control power supplied to said load means by varying the amount of time in each half cycle of full wave rectified alternating current during which voltage is supplied thereto.

7. The invention of claim 1, in which said control means operatively regulates the individual width of each of said pulse signals in said inverse relation to average sound intensity.