Multilayer control of gobo shape

• US 7,641,347 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Inventors: Hunt, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling; William C
• Application Number:
  US11/128,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20050206328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 353/11, 353/29, 353/31, 353/35, 353/87, 353/88, 353/94, 353/28, 353/122, 353/97, 353/84, 353/121, 362/281, 362/552, 362/268, 362/286, 362/293, 362/386, 362/233, 362/321, 345/32, 345/101, 345/31, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297, 359/291, 359/418, 359/419, 359/290, 359/292
• US Class Current: 353/97
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 10/007 using rotating transparent or colored disks, e.g. gobo wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/18 involving the use of optical projection means, e.g. projection of images on clouds projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A control of gobos defend by records in the gobo. The gobos are formed by menued shapes.

Claims

1. A stage lighting system, comprising:

a source of light producing a light beam;

an electronic device in a path of the source of light, and which receives an electronic file representing an image to be used to shape the outer perimeter of the light beam, said electronic device storing a plurality of gobo images in a library, and said electronic device using said electronic file to look up and retrieve a gobo image from said library, wherein said gobo image comprises a plurality of polygons which are defined as vectors.

2. A system as in claim 1, further comprising a digital signal processor, which carries out arithmetic operations on said vectors.

3. A device as in claim 2, wherein one of said arithmetic operations carried out by said digital signal processor comprises rotating the image and thereby rotating a shaped beam of light which has been shaped by the image.

4. A device as in claim 2, wherein one of said arithmetic operations comprises matrix arithmetic carried out on the polygons.