Electronically controlled stage lighting system

• US 7,379,230 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Inventors: Hughes, Michael, Hewlett, William, Parker, Richard, Clarke, Ian, Evans, Nigel, Hunt, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spector; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas; Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US11/406,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 359/298, 359/290, 359/291, 359/115, 359/123, 359/135, 359/154, 359/158, 359/156, 385/84, 353/84, 353/87, 353/101, 353/122
• US Class Current: 359/298
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/08 the elements being filters or photoluminescent elements and reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/04 by movement of reflectors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/08 by movement of the screens or filters
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/008 using micromirror devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/16 Cooling; Preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/20 Lamp housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/04 by four or more separation records
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A lighting system operating using a digital mirror as its operative device. The digital mirror is used to shape the light which is a passed through advanced optical devices in order to produce an output.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

forming a beam of light;

directing said beam of light along an optical path;

first modifying said beam of light using a motor controlled device to make a first modification to said beam of light;

second modifying said beam of light using a second motor controlled device to make a second modification to said beam of light that is different than said first modification; and

controlling said first modifying and said second modifying over a motor control bus which is a single electrical bus to which both said first motor controlled device and said second motor controlled device are connected, said controlling being carried out in a format that allows sending a first part of a command indicative of a function over said motor control bus, and a second part of said command indicative of data associated with said function also over said motor control bus, where said first part is in a first time slot within said command and is interpreted by first determining said first time slot and interpreting said first part based on said first determining, and said second part is in a second time slot within said command, and where said second time slot is different than said first time slot, and said second part is interpreted in a different way than said first part.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising using a common controller to communicate over said motor control bus and to control said first modifying and said second modifying.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first modifying comprises changing a color of the light.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first modifying comprises changing an optical characteristic of the light.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said changing an optical characteristic comprises changing a characteristic of an optical zoom.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first modifying comprises changing a position of projection of the light.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said changing positioning comprises controlling pan and tilt motors.

8. A method as in claim 3, wherein said second modifying comprises changing a characteristic of an optical function of the light.

9. A method as in claim 3, wherein said second modifying comprises changing the position of projection of the light.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first part comprises sending a function, and wherein said second part comprises sending data associated with the function.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein said function comprises a control to move a motor within one of the motor controlled devices, and said data comprises a position to which the motor should be moved.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein said controlling further comprises sending data representing a time profile of the motor operation, wherein said time profile comprises a non-linear profile that controls the motor to move non-linearly according to the nonlinear profile.

13. A method as in claim 1 further comprising, along said optical path, digitally controlling a shape of the light.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein said profile is one of a sinusoidal or trapezoidal profile of operation.

15. A method, comprising:

forming a beam of light;

directing said beam of light along an optical path;

modifying said beam of light using a motor controlled device to make a first modification to said beam of light; and

controlling said modifying over a motor control bus which is a single electrical bus with a number of wires, to which said motor controlled device is connected and at least one other motor controlled device is connected, said controlling being carried out by sending a first part of a command indicative of a function to be carried out by said command, and sending a second part of said command indicative of data associated with said function, where said controlling said first part is in a first time slot within said command and is interpreted by first determining said first time slot and second interpreting said first part as being said function based on its presence in said first time slot, and said second part is in a second time slot within said command different than said first time slot, and said second part is interpreted as being said data for said function based on its presence in said second time slot.