Method for operating a lighting system

• US 8,090,457 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MA Lighting Technology GmbH (MA Lighthing)
• Original Assignee: MA Lighting Technology GmbH (MA Lighthing)
• Inventors: Cordes, Hartmut, Adenau, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/333,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 340/870.11, 703/3, 703/130, 315/312, 315/291, 362/276
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2101/00 Point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A method for operating a lighting system comprising at least one central control unit and a plurality of lighting devices, including in the lighting devices a positioning sensor system, by which the locations of the lighting devices is determined and wherein location data for describing the locations is transmitted to the central control device from each lighting device comprising a data interface and wherein a stage set database, which describes a stage set model and in which the locations of the various lighting devices in a stage set is stored, is stored in the central control device, the method comprising,

• a) determining the current locations of the lighting devices by the positioning sensor system in the lighting devices;
• b) transferring the current location data from the lighting devices to the central control device;
• c) storing the location data in the stage set database.

Claims

1. A method for operating a lighting system comprising:

at least one central control unit and a plurality of lighting devices, including provision made in the lighting devices for a positioning sensor system operable to determine the locations of the lighting devices and wherein location data for describing the locations is transmitted to the central control device from each lighting device comprising a data interface, and wherein a stage set database, which describes a stage set model and in which the locations of the various lighting devices in a stage set are stored, is stored in the central control device, comprising the following method;

a) determining the current locations of the lighting devices by the positioning sensor system in the lighting devices;

b) transferring the current location data from the lighting devices to the central control device; and

c) storing the current location data in the stage set database;

including that a lighting control console is used as a central control device,

that a lighting program for controlling the lighting devices during a stage show on different stages is stored in the lighting control console,

wherein the lighting program includes at least one reference point on the stage, to which the adjusting commands of the lighting program relate and wherein the locations of the various lighting devices relative to the reference point are determined and are stored in the stage set database,

further including that the lighting program includes a plurality of predefined command sequences (presets) for the lighting devices, wherein the lighting commands of the command sequences are based on the stage set database and are automatically updated after changing the stage set database, and

including that a visualization module for the virtual visualization of the stage set accesses the stage set database and visualizes the stage set in consideration of the current locations of the lighting devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, including that the current location data is transferred wirelessly from the lighting devices to the central control device.

3. The method according to claim 1, including that the positioning sensor system for determining the current location of a lighting device receives and evaluates positioning signals, in particular the GPS signals or RFID signals which are emitted by GPS transmitters or RFID transmitters.

4. The method according to claim 1 including that a stage set model is stored as a predefined setup in the stage set database, wherein the current locations of the various lighting devices are queried upon a request by the user, and wherein the predefined setup of the stage set model is updated by storing the current locations.