Remotely controlled lighting system

Claim 2

A lighting system comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light pivotally mounted to a support member; pivoting means for pivoting said light source to a preselected position; controller means for input of information including a coded address representing a selected one of said light sources and data representing the preselected position of said selected one of said light sources; transmitter means for transmitting the information; receiver means associated with each of said light sources for receiving the information and reading the coded address, said receiver means identifying the light source represented by the coded address, reading the positioning data and activating said pivoting means to pivot said selected one of said light sources to the preselected position.

Claim 3

The lighting system of Claim 1 further comprising means for storing the information input to said controller means, the information being recalled by said controller means to pivot said selected one of said light sources to the preselected position upon input of a recall command.

Claim 4

The lighting system of Claim 1 further comprising means for positioning a dichroic filter across the path of the beam of light from each light source to color the light beam passing therethrough, the information input to said controller means including data representing the desired color of the light beam of said selected one of said light sources, said receiver means activating said means for positioning the dichroic filter in response to the information to color the light beam.

Claim 5

The lighting system of Claim 1 further comprising dimmer means for varying the intensity of the light beam from said light sources, the input information including data representing the desired intensity for said selected one of said light sources, said receiver means activating said dimmer means to vary the intensity of the light beam to the desired level.

Claim 6

The lighting system of Claim 4 wherein said dimmer means is capable of varying the intensity of the light beam until the light beam is blocked.

Claim 7

The lighting system of Claim 1 further comprising means for varying the divergence of the light beam from said light sources, the input information including data representing the desired divergence for said selected one of said light sources and said receiver means activating said means for varying the divergence to provide the desired divergence to the light beam of said selected one of said light sources.

Claim 8

A lighting system comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light mounted to a fixed member for pivotal motion in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane; a panning mechanism for pivoting said light source in the horizontal plane; a tilting mechanism for pivoting said light source in the vertical plane; a controller for input by an operator of information including a coded address representing a selected one of said light sources and data representing the desired position of said selected one of said light sources in the horizontal and vertical planes: a memory for storing the input information for each of said light sources, said controller permitting the operator to select the information to be stored and selectively recalling the stored information; a transmitter for transmitting the input or recalled information for said selected one of said light sources along a signal cable; and a receiver associated with each of said light sources in communication with the signal cable for reading the coded address within the transmitted information, the receiver associated with said selected one of said light sources activating said panning and tilting mechanisms to pivot said selected one of said light sources to the desired position.

Claim 9

A lighting system comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light mounted to a fixed member for pivotal motion in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane; a panning mechanism for pivoting said light source in the horizontal plane; a tilting mechanism for pivoting said light source in the vertical plane; a controller for input by an operator of information including a coded address representing a selected one of said light sources and data representing the desired position of said selected one of said light sources in the horizontal and vertical planes: a memory for storing the input information for each of said light sources, said controller permitting the operator to select the information to be stored and selectively recalling the stored information; a transmitter for transmitting the input or recalled information for said selected one of said light sources along a signal cable; and a receiver associated with each of said light sources in communication with the signal cable for reading the coded address within the transmitted information, the receiver associated with said selected one of said light sources activating said panning and tilting mechanisms to pivot said selected one of said light sources to the desired position.

Claim 10

The lighting system of Claim 7 further comprising a color mechanism associated with each of said light sources for moving a dichroic filter across the beam of light to color the light beam passing therethrough, the information input into said controller further representing the desired color of the beam of light of said selected one of said light sources and the receiver associated with said selected one of said light sources operating the color mechanism to move the dichroic filter to produce the desired color.

Claim 11

The lighting system of Claim 7 further comprising a dimmer mechanism for varying the intensity of the beam of light from each of said light sources, the information input to said controller including data representing the desired intensity for said selected one of said light sources and the receiver associated therewith operating said dimmer mechanism to provide the desired intensity to the light beam.

Claim 12

The lighting system of Claim 7 further comprising a mechanism for varying the divergence of the light beam from each of said light sources, the information input to said controller including data representing the desired divergence of the light beam of said selected one of said light sources, the receiver associated therewith operating said mechanism to provide the desired divergence of the light beam.

Claim 13

A lighting system for use in lighting a stage comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light; a panning mechanism for panning each of said light sources to move the light beam across the stage, said panning mechanism having a servo motor to position the light source at a preselected position; a tilting mechanism for tilting each of said light sources to move the light beam over the stage, said tilting mechansim having a servo motor to position the light source at a preselected position; a controller for input by an operator of information including a coded address representing a selected one of said light sources and data representing the desired position of said selected one of said light sources; a transmitter for translating the input information to serial data for transmission along a two conductor signal cable; and a receiver associated with each of said light sources and communicating with the signal cable for decoding the coded address of the input information transmitted along the signal cable, the receiver associated with said selected one of said light sources operating the panning and tilting mechanisms to position said selected one of said light sources to the preselected position.

Claim 14

A lighting system for use in lighting a stage comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light; a panning mechanism for panning each of said light sources to move the light beam across the stage, said panning mechanism having a servo motor to position the light source at a preselected position; a tilting mechanism for tilting each of said light sources to move the light beam over the stage, said tilting mechansim having a servo motor to position the light source at a preselected position; a controller for input by an operator of information including a coded address representing a selected one of said light sources and data representing the desired position of said selected one of said light sources; a transmitter for translating the input information to serial data for transmission along a two conductor signal cable; and a receiver associated with each of said light sources and communicating with the signal cable for decoding the coded address of the input information transmitted along the signal cable, the receiver associated with said selected one of said light sources operating the panning and tilting mechanisms to position said selected one of said light sources to the preselected position.

Claim 15

The lighting system of Claim 11 further comprising a color mechanism associated with each of said light sources for moving a dichroic filter across the beam of light to color the beam passing therethrough, the input information further representing the desired color of the light beam of said selected one of said light sources and the receiver associated therewith operating the color mechanism so that the light beam has the desired color.

Claim 16

The lighting system of Claim 11 further comprising a dimmer mechanism associated with each one of said light sources for varying the intensity of the beam of light, the input information also representing the desired light beam intensity of said selected one of said light sources and the receiver associated therewith operating the dimmer mechanism to provide the desired intensity.

Claim 17

The lighting system of Claim 11 further comprising a mechanism associated with each one of said light sources for varying the divergence of the beam of light, the input information also representing the desired light beam divergence of said selected one of said light sources and the receiver associated therewith operating the mechanism to create the desired beam divergence.

Claim 18

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light positioned within said frame means, the light produced forming a light path within said frame means; at least one dichroic filter pivotally mounted within said frame means for pivotal motion into the light path for transmitting light of a preselected color, the angle of incidence of the light on the dichroic filter being variable to alter the color transmitted as the dichroic filter is pivoted.

Claim 19

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light positioned within said frame means, the light produced forming a light path within said frame means; at least one dichroic filter pivotally mounted within said frame means for pivotal motion into the light path for transmitting light of a preselected color, the angle of incidence of the light on the dichroic filter being variable to alter the color transmitted as the dichroic filter is pivoted.

Claim 20

The light source of Claim 15 wherein the dichroic filter is mounted for pivotal motion about an axis passing through the center of the light path so that the dichroic filter may be aligned with the light path to prevent interference therewith.

Claim 21

The light source of Claim 15 wherein said lamp means includes a reflector for reflecting light incident thereon along the light path.

Claim 22

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising collimating means for aligning the light in the light path in a parallel manner.

Claim 23

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising integrating means for homogenizing the light passing through the dichroic filter to produce a uniform color.

Claim 24

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising focusing means for focusing the light in the light path to illuminate a desired area.

Claim 25

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising douser means for preventing light from emanating from the light source.

Claim 26

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising dimmer means for varying the intensity of the light beam emanating from the light source.

Claim 27

The light source of Claim 15 further comprising positioning means for interconnecting the frame means and a fixed member for moving said frame means to direct the produced beam of light to a desired area.

Claim 28

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light positioned within said frame means adjacent one end thereof; reflector means for reflecting light incident thereon along a light path within said frame means; a plurality of dichroic filters pivotally mounted within the frame means for movement into the light path to color light passing therethrough; motor means for pivoting each of said dichroic filters separately into discrete positions in the light path to vary the angle of incidence of the light beam so that the color transmitted through each of said dichroic filters may be varied within a spectrum having a preselected range; and integrating means for homogenizing the light passing through said dichroic filters to produce a uniform color.

Claim 29

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light positioned within said frame means adjacent one end thereof; reflector means for reflecting light incident thereon along a light path within said frame means; a plurality of dichroic filters pivotally mounted within the frame means for movement into the light path to color light passing therethrough; motor means for pivoting each of said dichroic filters separately into discrete positions in the light path to vary the angle of incidence of the light beam so that the color transmitted through each of said dichroic filters may be varied within a spectrum having a preselected range; and integrating means for homogenizing the light passing through said dichroic filters to produce a uniform color.

Claim 30

The light source of Claim 24 wherein each of said dichroic filters is mounted for pivotal motion about an axis passing through the center of the light path so that the dichroic filter may be aligned with the light path to prevent interference therewith.

Claim 31

The light source of Claim 24 wherein each of said dichroic filters may be pivoted into the light path in combination with one or more of the remaining dichroic filters to increase the permutations of color produced by the light source.

Claim 32

The light source of Claim 24 wherein said reflector means comprises an elliptical reflector for converging light reflected therefrom to a focus within the frame means, said light source further comprising a collimating lens positioned in the light path on the opposite side of the focus from said elliptical reflector to align the light along a parallel path.

Claim 33

The light source of Claim 24 further comprising a focusing lens for focusing the light in the light path to form a light beam to illuminate a desired area.

Claim 34

The light source of Claim 24 further comprising a douser unit for preventing light from emanating from said light source.

Claim 35

The light source of Claim 24 further comprising a dimmer unit for varying the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 36

The light source of Claim 24 further comprising positioning means interconnecting said frame means with a fixed member, said positioning means including means for panning and tilting said frame means to permit the light beam to fall in a desired area.

Claim 37

A light source for stage lighting comprising: an elongate hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for producing light; a reflector positioned behind said lamp for reflecting incident light into a light path within said frame; a plurality of dichroic filters pivotally mounted within said frame for motion about an axis extending through the center of the light path; motor means associated with each of said dichroic filters for pivoting said filters from a position aligned with the light path so that the filter does not interfere with the light to selected positions across the light path for varying the angle of incidence of the light thereon so that the color transmitted therethrough may be varied within a spectrum having a preselected range, said motor means permitting pivotal motion of more than one of said dichroic filters simultaneously across the light path to increase the permutations of color emanating from said light source; and an integrating lens for homogenizing the light passing through said dichroic filters to produce a uniform colored light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 38

A light source for stage lighting comprising: an elongate hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for producing light; a reflector positioned behind said lamp for reflecting incident light into a light path within said frame; a plurality of dichroic filters pivotally mounted within said frame for motion about an axis extending through the center of the light path; motor means associated with each of said dichroic filters for pivoting said filters from a position aligned with the light path so that the filter does not interfere with the light to selected positions across the light path for varying the angle of incidence of the light thereon so that the color transmitted therethrough may be varied within a spectrum having a preselected range, said motor means permitting pivotal motion of more than one of said dichroic filters simultaneously across the light path to increase the permutations of color emanating from said light source; and an integrating lens for homogenizing the light passing through said dichroic filters to produce a uniform colored light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 39

The light source of Claim 32 wherein said plurality of dichroic filters comprises four dichroic filters, said filters transmitting the dominant colors blue, green, yellow and red, respectfully.

Claim 40

The light source of Claim 33 wherein the dichroic filters transmitting blue and green light are positioned on the opposite side of the dichroic filters transmitting yellow and red from said lamp.

Claim 41

The light source of Claim 32 wherein said reflector comprises an elliptical reflector converging light reflected therefrom to a focus within said frame, said light source further comprising a collimating lens positioned in the light path within said frame on the side opposite said elliptical mirror from the focus to align the light passing therethrough.

Claim 42

The light source of Claim 32 further comprising a focusing lens positioned in the light path for focusing the light to illuminate a desired area.

Claim 43

The light source of Claim 32 further comprising a douser unit for blocking light from emanating from said light source.

Claim 44

The light source of Claim 32 further comprising a dimmer unit for varying the intensity of the light being emanated from said light source.

Claim 45

The light source of Claim 32 further comprising a support for supporting said frame from a fixed member, said support including a first servo motor for tilting said frame and a second servo motor for panning said frame.

Claim 46

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light, the light being directed along a light path within said frame means; color wheel means rotatably mounted on said frame means and having at least one dichroic filter mounted in the periphery thereof; and motor means for rotating said color wheel means to position the dichroic filter across the light path to transmit a preselected color forming the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 47

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: frame means; lamp means for producing light, the light being directed along a light path within said frame means; color wheel means rotatably mounted on said frame means and having at least one dichroic filter mounted in the periphery thereof; and motor means for rotating said color wheel means to position the dichroic filter across the light path to transmit a preselected color forming the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 48

The light source of Claim 40 wherein said lamp means further comprises an elliptical reflector for reflecting light incident thereon for convergence at a focus, said color wheel means being rotatable to position the dichroic filter across the light path adjacent the focus to minimize the area of the dichroic filter.

Claim 49

The light source of Claim 40 wherein said color wheel means includes a plurality of dichroic filters mounted in the periphery thereof to permit light beams of varied color to emanate from said light source and having at least one opening without a dichroic filter to permit a white light beam to emanate from said light source.

Claim 50

The light source of Claim 40 further comprising a second color wheel means rotatably mounted on said frame means and having at least one dichroic filter mounted in the periphery thereof, said light source further comprising second motor means for rotating said second color wheel means 'to position the dichroic filter across the light path to transmit a preselected color, both of said color wheel means being rotatable to position dichroic filters across the light path to increase the permutations of color emanating from said light source.

Claim 51

The light source of Claim 40 further having a gobo wheel rotatably mounted on said frame means having a slide having a predetermined image formed thereon and including means for rotating said gobo wheel to position the slide across the light path to project the image in the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 52

The light source of Claim 40 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame means having portions transmitting preselected percentages of the light incident thereon, said light source further comprising means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position a selected portion of said light intensity wheel across the light beam to vary the light intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 53

The light source of Claim 40 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame means having a plurality of reflective mirrors, each of said mirrors permitting a preselected percentage of the light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough, said light source further comprising means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position selected ones of said mirrors across the light path to vary the light intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 54

The light source of Claim 40 further comprising lens means for varying the divergence of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 55

The light source of Claim 40 further comprising positioning means for interconnecting said frame means and a fixed member for permitting said light source to pivot in at least one direction to move the light beam across an area to be lighted.

Claim 56

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: an elongated hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for generating light; an elliptical mirror positioned behind said lamp for reflecting light incident thereon into a light path and converging the reflected light to a focus located within said frame; a color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, said color wheel being positioned along the frame so that each of the apertures may be positioned across the light path so that the light in the light path passes through the aperture, at least one of the apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color; means for rotating said color wheel to position a selected one of said apertures across the light path; and a lens arrangement positioned within the light path for determining the angle of divergence of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 57

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: an elongated hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for generating light; an elliptical mirror positioned behind said lamp for reflecting light incident thereon into a light path and converging the reflected light to a focus located within said frame; a color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, said color wheel being positioned along the frame so that each of the apertures may be positioned across the light path so that the light in the light path passes through the aperture, at least one of the apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color; means for rotating said color wheel to position a selected one of said apertures across the light path; and a lens arrangement positioned within the light path for determining the angle of divergence of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 58

The light source of Claim 49 wherein said color wheel is positioned along said frame so that the light in the light path passes through an aperture adjacent the focus to minimize the area of the apertures.

Claim 59

The light source of Claim 49 further comprising a second color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, said second color wheel being positioned along the frame so that each of the apertures may be positioned across the light path so that the light in the light path passes through the aperture, at least one of said apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color, said light source further comprising means for rotating said second color wheel to position a selected one of the apertures across the light path, both of said color wheels being rotatable simultaneously to position dichroic filters across the light path to permit increased permutations of color emanating from said light source.

Claim 60

The light source of Claim 49 further comprising a gobo wheel mounted for rotation on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, at least one of the apertures having a slide mounted therein representing a desired shape, and means for rotating said gobo wheel to position the slide across the light path to shape the light beam emanating from said light source to the desired shape.

Claim 61

The light source of Claim 49 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame having portions transmitting preselected percentages of the light incident thereon, said light source further comprising means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position a selected portion of said light intensity wheel across the light path for varying the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 62

The light source of Claim 49 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of mirrored surfaces formed in the periphery thereof, each of said mirrored surfaces permitting a preselected percentage of light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough, and means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position a selected one of said mirrored surfaces across the light path for varying the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 63

The light source of Claim 49 further comprising positioning means for connecting said frame and a fixed member and permitting said frame to pan and tilt, said positioning means including first and second servo motors for panning and tilting said frame, respectively, in discrete increments to direct the beam of light to a desired area.

Claim 64

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: an elongated hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for producing light; an elliptical mirror positioned behind said lamp for converging light reflected therefrom to a focus and forming a light path; a color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, at least one of the apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color; motor means for rotating said color wheel to position a selected one of the apertures across the light path so that the light in the light path passes therethrough, said color wheel being mounted on said frame to position the selected aperture adjacent the focus to minimize the area of the aperture, the dichroic filters mounted in the apertures being positioned substantially normal to the light path when positioned therein; and a zoom lens positioned across the light path for collimating the light and transmitting the light therethrough to form a light beam having a preselected angle of divergence.

Claim 65

A light source for producing a directable beam of light comprising: an elongated hollow frame; a lamp positioned adjacent one end of said frame for producing light; an elliptical mirror positioned behind said lamp for converging light reflected therefrom to a focus and forming a light path; a color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, at least one of the apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color; motor means for rotating said color wheel to position a selected one of the apertures across the light path so that the light in the light path passes therethrough, said color wheel being mounted on said frame to position the selected aperture adjacent the focus to minimize the area of the aperture, the dichroic filters mounted in the apertures being positioned substantially normal to the light path when positioned therein; and a zoom lens positioned across the light path for collimating the light and transmitting the light therethrough to form a light beam having a preselected angle of divergence.

Claim 66

The light source of Claim 56 further comprising a second color wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, at least one of the apertures having a dichroic filter mounted therein for transmitting a selected color, and means for rotating said second color wheel to position the dichroic filter across the light path and normal thereto, said second color wheel being mounted on said frame so that the aperture positioned across the light path permits the light to pass therethrough and lies adjacent the focus to minimize the area of the aperture.

Claim 67

The light source of Claim 56 further comprising a gobo wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, a slide having a preselected shape being positioned in at least one of the apertures, and means for rotating said gobo wheel to position the slide across the light path to shape the light beam emanating from said light source to correspond to the slide.

Claim 68

The light source of Claim 56 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame having portions transmitting preselected percentages of the light incident thereon, said light source further comprising means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position a selected portion of said light intensity wheel across the light path to vary the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 69

The light source of Claim 56 further comprising a light intensity wheel rotatably mounted on said frame and having a plurality of apertures formed in the periphery thereof, selected ones of the apertures having silvered mirrors positioned therein for transmitting a preselected percentage of the light incident thereon, and means for rotating said light intensity wheel to position a selected one of the silvered mirrors across the light path to vary the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 70

The light source of Claim 56 further comprising positioning means for interconnecting said frame and a fixed member and permitting said frame to pan and tilt, said positioning means further comprising first and second servo motors to pan and tilt said frame, respectively, in discrete increments to direct the light beam emanating from said light source to a desired area.

Claim 71

A lighting system for use in lighting an area, comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light mounted proximate to the area, each of the light sources having a mechanism to position the light source and vary the color of the light beam; controller means for inputting information representing the desired position and light color of a selected one of said light sources; transmitter means for transmitting the input information; and receiver means associated with each of said light sources, the receiver means associated with said selected one of said light sources activating the mechanism controlling the position and light color to correspond to the information transmitted.

Claim 72

A lighting system for use in lighting an area, comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light mounted proximate to the area, each of the light sources having a mechanism to position the light source and vary the color of the light beam; controller means for inputting information representing the desired position and light color of a selected one of said light sources; transmitter means for transmitting the input information; and receiver means associated with each of said light sources, the receiver means associated with said selected one of said light sources activating the mechanism controlling the position and light color to correspond to the information transmitted.

Claim 73

The lighting system of Claim 62 wherein the information input into said controller means further includes an address code representing said selected one of said light sources, each of said receiver means reading the coded address to determine whether the associated light source is said selected one of said light sources.

Claim 74

The light system of Claim 62 wherein said controller means further comprisies a memory for storing the input information, said controller means permitting recall of the stored information for transmission by said transmitter means when desired.

Claim 75

The lighting system of Claim 64 for use with multiple cues, each cue representing a desired position and light color for said selected one of said light sources, said memory retaining the input information for each cue therein.

Claim 76

The lighting system of Claim 65 wherein said controller means permits selective recall of the stored information concerning each of the light sources for a given cue.

Claim 77

The lighting system of Claim 65 wherein said controller means permits recall of the stored information input for each light source for cues in sequential order.

Claim 78

The lighting system of Claim 62 wherein said light sources include mechanisms for varying the divergence of the light beam emanating therefrom, the input information further representing the desired divergence and said receiver means controlling the mechanism within said selected one of said light sources to achieve the desired divergence.

Claim 79

The lighting system of Claim 62 wherein said light sources include a mechanism for varying the intensity of the light beam emanating from the light source, the information input into said controller means representing the desired intensity of said selected one of said light sources and said receiver means controlling the mechanism in said selected one of said light sources to set the desired intensity.

Claim 80

A lighting system for lighting an area comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light having at least one variable function; manual controls for inputting the desired value of the variable functions for a selected one of said light sources; control processor means for processing the input values; control interface means for interfacing said manual controls and said control processor means; function processor means associated with each variable function for processing the input value for that function, said control processor means directing the input value for each function to the associated function processor means; processor interface means for interfacing said control processor means and said function processor means; data transmitter means; output interface means for interfacing said function processor means and said data transmitter means; data receiver means associated with each of said light sources; data link means interconnecting said data transmitter means and said data receiver means; and the desired value for each variable function input into said manual controls being processed by said central processor means and the associated function processor means and transmitted along said data link by said data transmitter means, said data receiver means receiving the information transmitted by said data transmitter means and activating the variable function of said selected one of said light sources to set the function to the desired value.

Claim 81

A lighting system for lighting an area comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light having at least one variable function; manual controls for inputting the desired value of the variable functions for a selected one of said light sources; control processor means for processing the input values; control interface means for interfacing said manual controls and said control processor means; function processor means associated with each variable function for processing the input value for that function, said control processor means directing the input value for each function to the associated function processor means; processor interface means for interfacing said control processor means and said function processor means; data transmitter means; output interface means for interfacing said function processor means and said data transmitter means; data receiver means associated with each of said light sources; data link means interconnecting said data transmitter means and said data receiver means; and the desired value for each variable function input into said manual controls being processed by said central processor means and the associated function processor means and transmitted along said data link by said data transmitter means, said data receiver means receiving the information transmitted by said data transmitter means and activating the variable function of said selected one of said light sources to set the function to the desired value.

Claim 82

The lighting system of Claim 70 further comprising function cue memory means communicating with each of said function processor means for storage of the desired value of the associated variable function, the value being recallable by command input to said manual controls by an operator.

Claim 83

The lighting system of Claim 71 wherein each of said function cue memory means stores the desired value of the associated variable function for each cue in a sequential series of cues, said control processor means directing each of said function processor means to recall the desired value of the variable function for each of said light sources to set the variable functions to the desired value for each cue in sequential order upon command input to said manual controls by the operator, said control processor means directing each of said function processor means to recall the stored value of the variable functions for a selected cue upon command entered into said manual controls by the operator.

Claim 84

The lighting system of Claim 70 wherein said variable functions include the variable functions of the position of said light source, the color of the light beam emanating from said light source, the intensity of the light beam emanating from said light source and the angle of divergence of the light beam emanating from said light source.

Claim 85

A lighting system for lighting an area comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light and having a plurality of variable functions; manual controls for inputting information representing the desired value for each of the variable functions and an address code for a selected one of said light sources for a selected cue in a sequential series of cues; a control processor means for processing the input information; a control interface means for interfacing between said manual controls and said control processor means; a function processor means associated with each of the variable functions for processing the input information representing that function and the address code, said control processor means directing the input information for each function to the associated function processor means; processor interface means for interfacing between said control processor means and each of said function processor means; a function cue memory means associated with each of said function processor means for storing the input information representing the address code and the desired value of the variable function for each of said light sources for each cue in the series; data transmitter means; output interface means interconnecting each of said function processor means and said data transmitter means, said data transmitter means translating information from each of said function processor means representing the desired value for each of the variable functions and the address code of said selected one of said light sources to serial data; data receiver means associated with each of said light sources; a data link interconnecting said data transmitter means and each of said data receiver means for transmission of the serial data representing the coded address and the desired value of each of the variable functions, each of said data receiver means translating the coded address transmitted along said data link and the data receiver means associated with said selected one of said light sources further activating said selected one of said light sources to set the variable functions to the desired values represented by the serial data; and the control processor means directing each of said function processor means to recall the desired value for each of the variable functions for each of said light sources for a selected cue and transfer the recalled values to said data transmitter means for transmission along the data link in response to a command input by the operator to said manual controls to set the variable functions for each of said light sources for the selected cue, said control processor means automatically sequencing the cues upon command by the operator.

Claim 86

A lighting system for lighting an area comprising: at least one light source for producing a directable beam of light and having a plurality of variable functions; manual controls for inputting information representing the desired value for each of the variable functions and an address code for a selected one of said light sources for a selected cue in a sequential series of cues; a control processor means for processing the input information; a control interface means for interfacing between said manual controls and said control processor means; a function processor means associated with each of the variable functions for processing the input information representing that function and the address code, said control processor means directing the input information for each function to the associated function processor means; processor interface means for interfacing between said control processor means and each of said function processor means; a function cue memory means associated with each of said function processor means for storing the input information representing the address code and the desired value of the variable function for each of said light sources for each cue in the series; data transmitter means; output interface means interconnecting each of said function processor means and said data transmitter means, said data transmitter means translating information from each of said function processor means representing the desired value for each of the variable functions and the address code of said selected one of said light sources to serial data; data receiver means associated with each of said light sources; a data link interconnecting said data transmitter means and each of said data receiver means for transmission of the serial data representing the coded address and the desired value of each of the variable functions, each of said data receiver means translating the coded address transmitted along said data link and the data receiver means associated with said selected one of said light sources further activating said selected one of said light sources to set the variable functions to the desired values represented by the serial data; and the control processor means directing each of said function processor means to recall the desired value for each of the variable functions for each of said light sources for a selected cue and transfer the recalled values to said data transmitter means for transmission along the data link in response to a command input by the operator to said manual controls to set the variable functions for each of said light sources for the selected cue, said control processor means automatically sequencing the cues upon command by the operator.

Claim 87

The lighting system of Claim 74 wherein the variable functions include varying the color of the light beam, intensity of the light beam, divergence of the light beam and the position of the light source for each of the light sources.