Plural channel light dimming system

Claim 2

A remote control lighting system comprising, a plurality of lights, a plurality of control means each adapted to be connected to said plurality of lights respectively to connect said lights to a source of power for variably energizing the same, a primary control positioned remote from said lights and said plurality of control means and connected thereto by a low voltage control cabling having only one conductor for each control means controlling each light, said primary control including a plurality of preset controllers with variable settings and with switching means to switch from one setting to another, manually controlled switching means included in the primary control and having selectively operated switches corresponding to the settings of the preset controllers connected to the controllers for simultaneously switching all controllers from one setting to another, means responsive to the operation of each preset controller and connected respectively to said conductors of the cabling for providing variable low voltage control signals on the conductors to each of the lighting control means to vary the energization of said plurality of lights in accord with the operation of the manually controlled switching means and the settings of the preset controllers, and including a synchronizing means connected to the means responsive to the operation of the preset controllers to synchronize the operation of the controllers with an alternating current supply energizing the lights.

Claim 3

The remote control lighting system of claim 1 in which the synchronizing means is a ramp generator adapted to generate a pulse signal for each half cycle of alternating current supply.

Claim 4

The remote control lighting system of claim 2 in which the control means connected to the plurality of lamps are silicon controlled rectifiers controlling the energization of the lamps selectively for varying portions of each half cycle of alternating current supply to vary the intensity of illumination of the same.

Claim 5

The remote control system of claim 3 in which the silicon controlled rectifiers include a pair of silicon controlled rectifiers connected for bi-directional energization of the lights from the alternating current supply.

Claim 6

The remote control lighting system of claim 1 in which the preset controllers include resistance and resistance capacitance networks with switches for selectively connecting the networks to control the level of energization of an amplifier means with an output signal from the amplifier means providing a variable voltage signal with a variable rate of change of said voltage signal which signal cooperates with a synchronizing means to control respectively the plurality of controllers energizing the light source.

Claim 7

A remote control lighting system comPrising, a plurality of lights, a plurality of control means each adapted to be connected to said plurality of lights respectively to connect said lights to a source of power for variably energizing the same, a primary control positioned remote from said lights and said plurality of control means and connected thereto by a low voltage control cabling having only one conductor for each control means controlling each light, said primary control including a plurality of preset controllers with variable settings and with switching means to switch from one setting to another, manually controlled switching means included in the primary control and having selectively operated switches corresponding to the settings of the preset controllers connected to the controllers for simultaneously switching all controllers from one setting to another, said preset controllers including resistance and resistance capacitance networks with switches for selectively connecting the networks to control the level of energization of an amplifier means with an output signal from the amplifier means providing a variable voltage signal with the rate of change of said voltage signal, means responsive to the operation of each preset controller and connected respectively to said conductors of the cabling for providing variable low voltage control signals on the conductors to each of the lighting control means to vary the energization of said plurality of lights in accord with the operation of the manually controlled switching means and the settings of the preset controllers, and a synchronizing means connected to the means responsive to the operation of the preset controllers to synchronize the operation of the controllers with the alternating current supply energizing the lights, said means responsive to the energization of the preset controllers being a comparator receiving signals from the synchronizing means and signals from the preset controllers and providing an output signal for each half cycle of alternating current energization of the control means controlling the energization of the lights to vary the portion of each half cycle in which power is supplied to said lights and the rate of change of said signals to effect variation in intensity and rate of change of intensity of the lights.

Claim 8

A remote control lighting system comPrising, a plurality of lights, a plurality of control means each adapted to be connected to said plurality of lights respectively to connect said lights to a source of power for variably energizing the same, a primary control positioned remote from said lights and said plurality of control means and connected thereto by a low voltage control cabling having only one conductor for each control means controlling each light, said primary control including a plurality of preset controllers with variable settings and with switching means to switch from one setting to another, manually controlled switching means included in the primary control and having selectively operated switches corresponding to the settings of the preset controllers connected to the controllers for simultaneously switching all controllers from one setting to another, said preset controllers including resistance and resistance capacitance networks with switches for selectively connecting the networks to control the level of energization of an amplifier means with an output signal from the amplifier means providing a variable voltage signal with the rate of change of said voltage signal, means responsive to the operation of each preset controller and connected respectively to said conductors of the cabling for providing variable low voltage control signals on the conductors to each of the lighting control means to vary the energization of said plurality of lights in accord with the operation of the manually controlled switching means and the settings of the preset controllers, and a synchronizing means connected to the means responsive to the operation of the preset controllers to synchronize the operation of the controllers with the alternating current supply energizing the lights, said means responsive to the energization of the preset controllers being a comparator receiving signals from the synchronizing means and signals from the preset controllers and providing an output signal for each half cycle of alternating current energization of the control means controlling the energization of the lights to vary the portion of each half cycle in which power is supplied to said lights and the rate of change of said signals to effect variation in intensity and rate of change of intensity of the lights.

Claim 9

The remote control lighting system of claim 6 in which the manually controlled switching means includes a plurality of switches connected respectively to networks having multiple switches therein interconnected in each of the plurality of control channels associated with each of the lights and in which said manually operated switching means includes further switching means for de-energizing the plurality of control means associated with the lights.

Claim 10

The lighting control system of claim 7 in which the synchronizing means is a ramp generator providing a sloped voltage signal for each half cycle of alternating current energization of the same corresponding with the alternating current energization of the lights which sloped energization signal is compared with a fixed output signal from the preset controllers to determine what point in a half cycle of alternating current switching is to be effected in connection with energization of the lights and in which the control means controlling energization of the lights from an alternating current source includes triac means responsive to the output signal from the comparator to effect energization of the lights at varying points in each half cycle of alternating current supply.

Claim 11

The remote control lighting system of claim 7 and including additional means responsive to a predetermined length of time during which the manually operated switching means is operated to short circuit a portion of the preset controllers effecting delay in the change in the level of lighting.

Claim 12

A light controlled system comprising, a light adapted to be controllably energized from an alternating current source power, a switching control for operating the light in various stages of illumination, Said switching control including separate switch means for each of a plurality of stages of desired illumination of the light, said switching control including further separate relay means responsive to each of the separate switches to provide separate control circuits, an illumination intensity and delay control including separate resistance and resistance and capacitance networks corresponding to the predetermined stages of intensity and desired delays in illumination change of the light, circuit means connected respectively to the separate relay means and in controlling relationship with the resistance and resistance capacitance networks, means responsive to the output of the resistance and the resistance capacitance network for providing a signal having a variable voltage level indicative of the desired level of intensity and with a change in said desired voltage level upon switching being controlled timewise by the resistance capacitance network, means providing continuous synchronizing pulses corresponding to the alternating current supply, comparator means responsive to the synchronizing pulse signal and the voltage level signals for providing a control pulse signal at variable times on each half cycle of the alternating current supply depending upon the magnitude of the voltage level signal, and means connected to and responsive to the control pulse signals, said last named means selectively connecting the light to the alternating current supply to energize the lights proportionately during each half cycle of alternating current supply in accord with the timing of the control pulse signals.

Claim 13

A light controlled system comprising, a light adapted to be controllably energized from an alternating current source power, a switching control for operating the light in various stages of illumination, Said switching control including separate switch means for each of a plurality of stages of desired illumination of the light, said switching control including further separate relay means responsive to each of the separate switches to provide separate control circuits, an illumination intensity and delay control including separate resistance and resistance and capacitance networks corresponding to the predetermined stages of intensity and desired delays in illumination change of the light, circuit means connected respectively to the separate relay means and in controlling relationship with the resistance and resistance capacitance networks, means responsive to the output of the resistance and the resistance capacitance network for providing a signal having a variable voltage level indicative of the desired level of intensity and with a change in said desired voltage level upon switching being controlled timewise by the resistance capacitance network, means providing continuous synchronizing pulses corresponding to the alternating current supply, comparator means responsive to the synchronizing pulse signal and the voltage level signals for providing a control pulse signal at variable times on each half cycle of the alternating current supply depending upon the magnitude of the voltage level signal, and means connected to and responsive to the control pulse signals, said last named means selectively connecting the light to the alternating current supply to energize the lights proportionately during each half cycle of alternating current supply in accord with the timing of the control pulse signals.

Claim 14

The light control circuit of claim 10 in which the connection between the last named means and the comparator means is a single conductor.

Claim 15

The light control system of claim 11 in which the light and the means responsive to the control pulse for controlling the energization of the light are physically separated from the switching control, intensity and delay control and comparator means and positioned remote therefrom with the control pulse signal being a low voltage signal reduced from the magnitude of the alternating current supply.

Claim 16

The light control system of claim 12 in which the means connected to and responsive to the control pulse and controlling energization of the light from an alternating current supply includes a triac.

Claim 17

The light control system of claim 13 in which the synchronizing signal producing means produces a ramp voltage signal having a uniform slope between zero and a maximum voltage for each half cycle of alternating current supply.

Claim 18

The light control circuit of claim 14 and including means responsive to the length of time in which said respective switching means are operated to a closed position and connected to said circuits including the intensity and delay controls being operative to override the delay introduced by the resistance capacitance network with change in said switching means.

Claim 19

The lighting circuit of claim 15 and including additional switching means included in the switching control and operative to deactivate and de-energize all of the separate circuits included in the intensity and delay control to prevent energization of the light from the alternating current source.