Systems and methods of controlling the output of a light fixture

• US 8,878,455 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Theatre Controls Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Theatre Controls Incorporated
• Inventors: Hatley, Troy Bryan, Robbins, Timothy George
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMMOND, DEDEI KHALIEAH
• Application Number:
  US12/942,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 315/294
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

Systems and methods of controlling the output of an LED light fixture. The LED light fixture includes a plurality of light sources and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a first set of input data and determine a difference between the first set of input data and a second set of data stored in memory. The controller is also configured to set a slew time based on the determined difference and control the output of the light fixture based on the slew time. The slew time is inversely related to the determined difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data, and the slew time corresponds to the amount of time that the output of the light fixture is to take to transition from a present output of the light fixture to a new output of the light fixture.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an output of a light fixture, the light fixture including a plurality of light sources, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of input data;

retrieving a second set of data from a memory, the second set of data having been stored prior to receiving the first set of input data;

determining a difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data;

setting a slew time based on the determined difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data, the slew time corresponding to an amount of time the output of the light fixture is to take to transition from a present output of the light fixture to a new output of the light fixture;

determining an output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources; and

independently driving each of the plurality of light sources toward the determined output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources at a rate that is based on the slew time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a third set of input data;

comparing the third set of input data to the first set of input data;

determining a difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data; and

setting a second slew time based on the difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the slew time is greater than an amount of time between receiving the first set of input data and receiving the third set of input data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising

determining a second output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources;

and

independently driving the plurality of light sources to the determined second output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources at a second rate that is based on the second slew time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of light sources are driven to the determined second output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources based on the third set of input data regardless of whether each of the plurality of light sources has reached the output intensity value based on the first set of input data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the slew time is inversely related to the difference between the second set of data and the first set of input data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inverse relationship between the slew time and the difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data is a non-linear inverse relationship.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if the difference between the second set of data and the first set of input data is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the slew time is set equal to zero.

9. A method of controlling an output of a light fixture, the light fixture including a plurality of light sources, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of input data;

determining a difference between the first set of input data and a second set of data stored in a memory;

setting a slew time based on the determined difference, the slew time being inversely related to the determined difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data, the slew time corresponding to an amount of time the output of the light fixture is to take to transition from a present output of the light fixture to a new output of the light fixture; and

controlling the output of the light fixture based on the slew time.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving a third set of input data;

comparing the third set of input data to the first set of input data;

determining a difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data; and

setting a second slew time based on the determined difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the slew time is greater than an amount of time between receiving the first set of input data and receiving the third set of input data.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources based on the third set of input data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising independently controlling the plurality of light sources to the determined output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources at a rate that is based on the second slew time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of light sources are controlled to the determined output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources based on the third set of input data regardless of whether the output of the light fixture has reached the new output.

15. A light fixture comprising:

a plurality of light sources; and

a controller configured to

receive a first set of input data,

determine a difference between the first set of input data and a second set of data stored in a memory,

set a slew time based on the determined difference, the slew time being inversely related to the determined difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data, the slew time corresponding to an amount of time the output of the light fixture is to take to transition from a present output of the light fixture to a new output of the light fixture, and

control the output of the light fixture based on the slew time.

16. The light fixture of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to

receive a third set of input data;

compare the third set of input data to the first set of input data;

determine a difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data; and

set a second slew time based on the difference between the first set of input data and the third set of input data.

17. The light fixture of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to control the output of the light fixture based on the third set of input data regardless of whether the output of the light fixture has reached the new output.

18. The light fixture of claim 15, wherein the inverse relationship between the slew time and the difference between the first set of input data and the second set of data is a non-linear inverse relationship.

19. The light fixture of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources.

20. The light fixture of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to independently drive the plurality of light sources to the determined output intensity value for each of the plurality of light sources at a rate that is based on the slew time.