Systems and methods of controlling light systems

• US 7,242,152 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Lighting North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Color Kinetics Incorporated (Signify N.V.)
• Inventors: Lys, Ihor A., Dowling, Kevin J., Morgan, Frederick M., Ducharme, Alfred D., Chemel, Brian, Blackwell, Michael K., Warwick, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tuyet
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, JIMMY T
• Application Number:
  US10/171,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20030057887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 315/169.1, 315/169.3, 315/209.R, 315/219, 315/291, 315/307, 315/303, 315/312, 315/297, 315/317, 340/539, 340/468, 323/235, 323/237, 363/234, 363/800
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention is a system for generating control signals. The system may allow a user to generate an image, representation of an image, algorithm or other effect information. The effect information may then be converted to lighting control signals to be saved or communicated to a networked lighting system. An embodiment of the invention may enable the authoring, generation and communication of control signals such that an effect is generated in a space or area. An embodiment of the invention may provide systems and methods for the control of a plurality of lighting devices in an environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of uniquely addressable LED-based light systems, each light system having a dedicated wireless receiver adapted to receive wireless communications;

providing a transmitter adapted to transmit wireless communication signals;

wirelessly transmitting at least one lighting control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of uniquely addressable LED-based light systems; and

in response to the at least one lighting control signal, changing respective light outputs provided by at least a first light system and a second light system of the plurality of light systems to provide a visually coordinated light effect.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the plurality of light systems comprises providing a plurality light systems adapted to produce color changing effects.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of arranging the plurality of light systems including the first light system and the second light system in an audience.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of changing light outputs comprises changing the light outputs so as to provide a mixed-color dynamic lighting effect in the audience.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of arranging the plurality of light systems in the audience comprises arranging the plurality of light systems in an audience of a stadium.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the stadium comprises at least one of a football stadium, Olympic stadium, soccer stadium, baseball stadium, track and field stadium, indoor stadium, and outdoor stadium.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of arranging the plurality of light systems in the audience comprises arranging the plurality of light systems along a parade route.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication signals comprise RF signals.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication signals comprise IR signals.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication signals comprise microwave signals.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication signals comprise acoustic signals.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is further adapted to transmit omni-directional lighting communication signals.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is further adapted to transmit directional lighting communication signals.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of directing the directional communication signals such that a portion of the plurality of light systems is affected by the directional communication signals.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising a step of changing the direction of the directional communication signals such that a second portion of the plurality of light systems is affected by the directional communication signals.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the at least one lighting control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems comprises transmitting the at least one lighting control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems in a pattern.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the pattern comprises a raster pattern.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the pattern comprises a static pattern.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the pattern comprises a dynamic pattern.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the visually coordinated lighting effect comprises at least one of an Olympic ring pattern, a logo, a team logo, a trademark, a team trademark, an advertisement, and an image.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the at least one lighting control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems comprises transmitting a blanking control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of changing light outputs comprises turning at least one of the plurality of light systems off in response to the blanking signal.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of changing light outputs comprises turning at least one of the plurality of light systems to a set color in response to the blanking signal.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting at least one lighting control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems comprises transmitting an initiation signal control signal from the transmitter to the plurality of light systems.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of changing light outputs comprises executing a lighting program in at least one of the plurality of light systems in response to the initiation signal.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of changing light outputs provided by at least the first light system and the second light system comprises changing the light outputs provided generated by all of the plurality of light systems to provide the visually coordinated light effect.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the visually coordinated light effect generated by the plurality of light systems generates a pattern.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the pattern is a static pattern.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the pattern comprises a dynamic pattern.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the dynamic pattern includes a color changing pattern.

31. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of:

providing a light management facility for mapping the positions of the plurality of light systems;

generating a map file that maps the positions of the plurality of light systems;

generating an effect using a computer application; and

associating characteristics of the light systems with code for the computer application.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein generating the effect comprises generating a computer graphics file.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the file comprises at least one 2D graphics file.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the file comprises at least one 3D graphics file.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein generating the effect comprises using at least one of a bitmap and a vector coordinate.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein generating the effect comprises using a generation function.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the light management facility generates a configuration file for the plurality of light systems that stores at least one of the position, intensity, color, illumination characteristics, location, and type of the lighting system.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein a configuration file is generated by associating a lighting system with a location in an environment.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of changing light outputs provided by at least the first light system and the second light system comprises visually synchronizing the light outputs of the first light system and the second light system.

40. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of LED-based light systems wherein each of the plurality of light systems is adapted to execute a program at a predetermined time;

assembling the plurality in an environment; and

executing the program in each of the plurality of light systems at the predetermined time, based at least in part on at least one wireless control signal received by at least one of the plurality of light systems, to provide a lighting effect from each of the light systems in the plurality of light systems.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the time corresponds with an event.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the event comprises a period of time corresponding to a portion of at least one of an Olympic event, football event, soccer event, baseball event, and sporting event.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein the predetermined time is determined during manufacture of the each of the light systems of the plurality of light systems.

44. The method of claim 40 wherein the predetermined time is determined at a time after manufacture the light system.

45. The method of claim 40 wherein the step of assembling the plurality in an environment comprises assembling the plurality in an audience.

46. The method of claim 40 wherein the step of assembling the plurality in an environment comprises assembling the plurality in a stadium.

47. The method of claim 40 wherein the step of assembling the plurality in an environment comprises assembling the plurality on a parade route.

48. The method of claim 40 wherein the lighting effect comprises a static pattern.

49. The method of claim 40 wherein the lighting effect comprises a dynamic pattern.

50. A system, comprising:

an LED-based light system including a hand-held housing and having a wireless receiver adapted to receive communication signals, the light system further including;

at least one first LED configured to generate first radiation having a first spectrum; and

at least one second LED configured to generate second radiation having a second spectrum different than the first spectrum; and

a wireless transmitter adapted to transmit the communication signals to the light system to cause the light system to generate a lighting effect based on a mixing of the first radiation and the second radiation when both the first radiation and second radiation are generated.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the light system comprises a color changing mobile light system.

52. The system of claim 50 wherein the communication signals cause the light system to generate the lighting effect to indicate a person associated with the light system has been tagged.

53. The system of claim 50 wherein the lighting effect is a dynamic lighting effect.

54. The system of claim 50 wherein the lighting effect comprises a priority.

55. The system of claim 54 wherein the priority indicates a level of access a user has to the lighting effect from the light system.

56. An apparatus comprising:

an LED-based color changing light system having a wireless receiver to receive wireless communications that include lighting data, the LED-based color changing light system including;

at least one first LED configured to generate first radiation having a first spectrum; and

at least one second LED configured to generate second radiation having a second spectrum different than the first spectrum,

wherein the light system is configured to read the lighting data from the received wireless communication and generate a color of light, based on a mixing of the first radiation and the second radiation when both the first radiation and second radiation are generated, in response to the lighting data that is read from the received wireless communication.

57. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein the LED-based color changing light system is adapted to generate color changing effects using red, green and blue LEDs.

58. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising a wireless transmitter.

59. The light system of claim 56, wherein the color changing light system is adapted to dynamically change the color in response to the received wireless communication.

60. An environment comprising a plurality of color changing light systems of claim 56 wherein each of the plurality of color changing light systems is arranged in close proximity to another of the plurality such that the plurality of color changing light systems is capable of generating a coordinated lighting effect.

61. The environment of claim 60 wherein the environment comprises at least one of a crowd of people, audience, stadium, concert hall, indoor environment, outdoor environment, parade route, park, and amusement park.

62. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein the color changing light system is adapted to receive at least one of an RF signal, IR signal, microwave signal, electromagnetic signal, and acoustic signal.

63. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein the color changing light system is further adapted to execute a program upon receipt of an initiation signal.

64. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein the color changing light system is further adapted to use a look-up table to generate the color.

65. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein the color changing light system is further adapted to generate the color at a predetermined time.

66. The apparatus of claim 65 wherein the predetermined time corresponds with an event.

67. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein the event comprises a time period associated with at least one of an Olympic event, football event, soccer event, baseball event, and sporting event.

68. The environment of claim 60 wherein the coordinated light effect comprises a static light effect.

69. The environment of claim 60 wherein the coordinated light effect comprises a dynamic light effect.

70. The environment of claim 60 wherein the coordinated light effect comprises an image.

71. The environment of claim 60 wherein the coordinated light effect comprises a pattern.

72. The environment of claim 71 wherein the pattern comprises an Olympic ring pattern, a logo, a team logo, a trademark, a team trademark, and an advertisement.

73. A system, comprising:

a plurality of uniquely addressable LED-based light systems, each having a dedicated wireless receiver and each being adapted to provide a light output; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit at least one lighting control signal to the plurality of uniquely addressable LED-based light systems,

wherein the transmitter and the plurality of the uniquely addressable LED-based light systems are configured such that, in response to the at least one lighting control signal, respective light outputs of at least a first light system and a second light system of the plurality of light systems provide a visually coordinated light effect.

74. The system of claim 73 wherein each LED-based light system comprises red, green and blue LEDs adapted to generate color changing effects.

75. The system of claim 73 wherein the plurality of light systems are arranged in close proximity to one another.

76. An environment comprising the system of claim 73, wherein the environment comprises at least one of a crowd of people, an audience, a stadium, a concert hall, an indoor environment, an outdoor environment, a parade route, a park, and an amusement park.

77. The system of claim 73 wherein the transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit the at least one lighting control signal as one of an RF signal, an IR signal, a microwave signal, an electromagnetic signal, and an acoustic signal.

78. The system of claim 73 wherein each of the plurality of light systems is adapted to execute a program upon receipt of the at least one lighting control signal, the program being adapted to control the light outputs of at least the first light system and the second light system.

79. The system of claim 73 wherein each of the plurality of light systems is adapted to read data from the at least one lighting control signal, the plurality of light systems configured such that the data determines a color of the light output for at least the first light system and the second light system.

80. The system of claim 79 wherein at least the first light system and the second light system of the plurality of light systems is further adapted to use a look-up table to determine the color.

81. The system of claim 73 wherein the plurality of light systems is further adapted to generate the visually coordinated lighting effect at a predetermined time.

82. The system of claim 81 wherein the predetermined time corresponds with an event.

83. The system of claim 82 wherein the event comprises a time period associated with at least one of an Olympic event, football event, soccer event, baseball event, and sporting event.

84. The system of claim 73 wherein the visually coordinated light effect comprises a static light effect.

85. The system of claim 73 wherein the visually coordinated light effect comprises a dynamic light effect.

86. The system of claim 73 wherein the visually coordinated light effect comprises an image.

87. The system of claim 73 wherein the visually coordinated light effect comprises a pattern.

88. The system of claim 87 wherein the pattern comprises an Olympic ring pattern, a logo, a team logo, a trademark, a team trademark, and an advertisement.

89. The system of claim 73, wherein the transmitter and the first light system and the second light system of the plurality of the light systems are configured such that, in response to the at least one lighting control signal, the light outputs of at least the first light system and the second light system of the plurality of light systems are synchronized.