Ornamental light display and circuit therefor

• US 4,264,845 A
• Filed: 11/22/1978
• Issued: 04/28/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matthews Research & Development Corporation
• Original Assignee: Electro-Harmonix, Inc.
• Inventors: Bednarz, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAROCHE, EUGENE
• Application Number:
  US05/962,955
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 315/200 A, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297, 315/312, 315/323, 315/161, 315/176, 84/464, 362/800, 362/810, 362/811, 362/104, 362/806, 340/148
• US Class Current: 315/323
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/305 Frequency-control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/806 Ornamental or decorative

Abstract

The method and apparatus for producing ornamental lighting displays utilizing electronic circuitry in the nature of a commutator which responds to binary signals produced from a plurality of orderly and/or random sources of energy and functions to illuminate one or more light sources depending on the binary combinations produced by the energy sources. The light sources may be light emitting diodes or other light sources depending on the power available and may be arranged in a variety of ornamental patterns.

Claims

1. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display comprising a plurality of light sources arranged to form an ornamental pattern, a plurality of generating means for producing a plurality of sets of binary input signals of different periodicities, means for sensing the successive changes in the orders of binary bits produced by said signals and producing a set of binary output signals and means for feeding said output signals to said light sources for illuminating selected light sources with each specific order of bits being sensed, second sensing means, means for feeding a plurality of binary input signals to said second sensing means whereby the last said sensing means produces a second set of binary output signals and each of said light sources is connected between selected output terminals of the first said and second sensing means and illuminated each time a voltage difference occurs across each light source.

2. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display according to claim 1 wherein said light sources are LEDs.

3. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display according to claim 1 wherein said generating means comprises a plurality of square wave oscillators for producing said sets of binary input signals and means for individually adjusting the frequency of each oscillator.

4. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said generating means comprises a source of substantially randomly varying signals such as noise, voice, music and the like and means for producing a square wave signal in accordince with a characteristic of the randomly varying signals.

5. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display according to claim 1 wherein said light sources are arranged in a rectangular array.

6. Apparatus for producing an ornamental light display according to claim 1 wherein said light sources are arranged in a spiral array.