Creating and controlling lighting designs
First Claim
1. A computer-controller system for modelling a lighting production including characteristics of a production site in which said lighting production is to be performed and lighting scenes produced upon lighting targets, by a lighting console and lighting instruments without requiring access to the site, console or lighting instruments, one or more of said lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable lighting parameters, said modelling system including:
- data entry means adapted to receive;
(1) site data describing relevant characteristics of the lighting site including the location of said lighting targets within said lighting site;
(2) light selection data identifying the selection of the lighting instruments to be operational in the production of said lighting scenes;
(3) instrument data describing relevant characteristics of each of said lighting instruments including the location of said selected lighting instruments within said lighting site; and
(4) parameter data describing values of said lighting parameters associated with each of said selected lighting instruments;
a memory coupled to said data entry means for storing said site, light selection, instrument and parameter data;
a processor coupled to said memory for computing from said stored site, light selection instrument, and parameter data, three dimensional representations of the aggregate lighting scene, said representation including a simulation of one or more of said selected lighting instruments conforming to said associated parameter data; and
a monitor coupled to said processor for displaying certain of said three dimensional representations.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A modelling and control system for creating lighting designs off-line and for controlling on-line the operation of the actual lighting systems producing those designs. Using a programmable computer, the modelling system prompts inputs by the designer/programmer describing model objects and their parameters including stage dimensions, set pieces and their locations, performers and their positions, trusses, lamps and their parameters such as color, focus, intensity, beam edge, and the relations among the objects. The sytem computes the resutant lighting scenes, organized as cues and arranged and formatted to be compatible with actual lighting controller usage. The system displays the model environment in such a way as to facilitate the modelling operation and its results. It also also generates a variety of spreadsheets for use by the designer.
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Citations
62 Claims
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1. A computer-controller system for modelling a lighting production including characteristics of a production site in which said lighting production is to be performed and lighting scenes produced upon lighting targets, by a lighting console and lighting instruments without requiring access to the site, console or lighting instruments, one or more of said lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable lighting parameters, said modelling system including:
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data entry means adapted to receive; (1) site data describing relevant characteristics of the lighting site including the location of said lighting targets within said lighting site; (2) light selection data identifying the selection of the lighting instruments to be operational in the production of said lighting scenes; (3) instrument data describing relevant characteristics of each of said lighting instruments including the location of said selected lighting instruments within said lighting site; and (4) parameter data describing values of said lighting parameters associated with each of said selected lighting instruments; a memory coupled to said data entry means for storing said site, light selection, instrument and parameter data; a processor coupled to said memory for computing from said stored site, light selection instrument, and parameter data, three dimensional representations of the aggregate lighting scene, said representation including a simulation of one or more of said selected lighting instruments conforming to said associated parameter data; and a monitor coupled to said processor for displaying certain of said three dimensional representations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for modelling a lighting production including characteristics of a production site in which said lighting production is to be performed and lighting designs produced upon lighting targets by a lighting console and lighting instruments, one or more of said lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable lighting parameters, said modelling method employing a computing system having a graphic display program, data entry means, data processing means including a graphic generating program, a memory and a monitor;
- said method comprising the steps of;
entering and storing site data into said computing system describing relevant characteristics of said lighting site including the positional relationship of said lighting targets within said lighting site; entering and storing instrument data into said computing system describing relevant characteristics of each of said lighting instruments including the positional relationship of said selected lighting instruments to said site; entering and storing light selection data into said computing system identifying the lighting instruments to be operational in a scene; entering and storing parameter data in said computing system describing the lighting parameters associated with each of said selected lighting instruments; computing from said stored site, instrument, light selection parameter data a three dimensional representation of the aggregate lighting design, said representation including a simulation of one or more of said selected lighting instruments conforming to said associated parameter data; and displaying said three dimensional representation on said monitor. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
- said method comprising the steps of;
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41. A method for focusing a lighting instrument on an associated lighting target in a lighting system comprised of one or more lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable parameters relating to beam characteristics and beam position, said method employing a computing system having data entry means, data processing means, and a memory, said method comprising the steps of:
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entering into said memory site data describing the characteristics of a site in which said lighting production is to be performed, said site data including a reference point in said site; entering into said memory instrument data describing at least one lighting instrument to be included in said site for producing a desired lighting effect including the position of said instrument with respect to said reference point of said site; entering into said memory target data describing at least one target to be included in said site including the position of said target with respect to said reference point of said site; selecting at least one of said lighting instruments to be operational in a desired lighting design; identifying a desired lighting target to be associated with said selected lighting instrument for said desired lighting design; processing said site, instrument and target data to determine the positional relationship of said associated target with respect to said selected lighting instrument; and computing from said positional relationship the displacement necessary to focus said instrument on said target. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A lighting system including:
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a plurality of lamp units, one or more of said lamp units having adjustable lamp parameters; a control console including manual control means for generating command data for adjusting certain of said lamp parameters and further including a communication port for receiving data from an external source; and a modelling unit comprising; a processor with at least one associated stored program for modelling the functions of said manual control means; a signal generator for generating modelled command data in response to manipulations of said modelled functions of said manual control means, said modelled command data being in a format compatible to said control console; memory means for storing said stored program and said modelled command data; and communication means for communicating said modelled command data to said control console through said communication port. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A method for focusing a lighting unit on an associated lighting target in a lighting system having a plurality of lighting units with adjustable parameters including variable azimuth, Θ
- , and elevation, Φ
, for controlling the focus position of said lighting unit;
said focusing method employing a computing system having data entry means, data processing means and data storage means, said focusing method comprising;entering data into said computing system describing the positional coordinates (x,y,z) of at least one of said lighting targets relative to a fixed position within a production site; entering data into said computing system describing the positional coordinates (a,b,c) of at least one of said lighting units relative to said fixed position within said production site; selecting at least one of said lighting units to be active in a desired lighting design; identifying a desired lighting target to be associated with said selected lighting unit for said desired lighting design; retrieving from said entered data the positional coordinates of said selected lighting unit and said associated lighting target within the production site for a particular lighting design; translating the positional coordinates (x,y,z) of said selected lighting target into corresponding positional coordinates (x'"'"', y'"'"', y'"'"') relative to said positional coordinate (a,b,c) of said associated lighting unit; and computing the azimuth angular value, Θ
, and elevation angular value, Φ
, of the angular distances of said associated target from said lighting unit for focusing said lighting unit on said associated target based on said positional coordinates (x'"'"', y'"'"', z'"'"') of the lighting target in the coordinate system of said lighting unit. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62)
- , and elevation, Φ
Specification