US3763394A — Stage lighting systems

Claim 1

Independent Claim 130 words

Control apparatus for plural lighting channels or one or more lighting units per channel, including a light-intensity control unit for each channel responsive to an applied control signal, a complement of sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said control units, respectively, for providing said control signals, a recirculating register, means for entering into said recirculating register a succession of bits including successive groups of bits comprising digital light-intensity codes for said control units, respectively, and a translating link for converting digital light-intensity codes from said recirculating register into analog signals for said complement of sample-andhold circuits, said translating link including, in the order named, a serial-to-parallel converter, a buffer storage register and a digital-to-analog converter, and means for applying the output of said digital-to-analog converter to said complement of sample-and-hold circuits, successively.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 130 words

Control apparatus for plural lighting channels or one or more lighting units per channel, including a light-intensity control unit for each channel responsive to an applied control signal, a complement of sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said control units, respectively, for providing said control signals, a recirculating register, means for entering into said recirculating register a succession of bits including successive groups of bits comprising digital light-intensity codes for said control units, respectively, and a translating link for converting digital light-intensity codes from said recirculating register into analog signals for said complement of sample-andhold circuits, said translating link including, in the order named, a serial-to-parallel converter, a buffer storage register and a digital-to-analog converter, and means for applying the output of said digital-to-analog converter to said complement of sample-and-hold circuits, successively.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 86 words

Control apparatus for plural lighting channels in accordance with claim 1, including timing means for coordinating (a) the circulation of bits in the recirculating register and (b) the entry of successive groups of bits into said buffer storage register, and (c) the application of the output of said converter to said sample-and-hold circuits successively so that a constant relationship is maintained between the digital light-intensity codes in the recirculating register and the converter output applied to corresponding sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said light-intensity control units, respectively.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 32 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further including a second recirculating register, and selective means for switching the serial-to-parallel converter of said translating link to one of said recirculating registers.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 97 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further including a second recirculating register, a second translating link as aforesaid, and a second complement of store-and-hold circuits coupled to the light-intensity control units of said lighting channels, and including respective rectifying devices in the coupling of each light-intensity control units to a corresponding one of the sample-and-hold circuits in the first-mentioned complement thereof and to a corresponding one of the sample-and-hold circuits of the second complement thereof, for rendering effective the greater one of the signals from the sample-and-hold circuits coupled to any given light-intensity control unit.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 66 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further including a fader for cyclically switching ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' the output of at least certain of said sample-and-hold circuits to said light-intensity control units, the ratio of the ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' intervals of the fader being adjustable to vary proportionally the effects of said certain sample-and-hold circuits in determining the lighting intensity of the corresponding lighting channels.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 90 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 4, further including first and second mutually independent faders for cyclically switching ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' the output of faders for cyclically switching ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' the output of at least certain of said first-mentioned complement of sample-and-hold circuits and at least certain of said second complement of sample-and-hold circuits, the ratio of the ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' times of each said fader being adjustable to vary proportionally the effects of said certain sample-and-hold circuits in determining the lighting intensity of the corresponding lighting channels.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 85 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 4, further including a cross-fader for cyclically switching ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' the output of at least certain of the sample-and-hold circuits of said first-mentioned complement thereof and, complementally, cyclically switching ''''off'''' and ''''on'''' the output of the corresponding sample-and-hold circuits of said second complement thereof, the ''''on'''' duty-cycle of said certain sample-and-hold circuits of said first-mentioned complement being variable between 0 and 100 percent limits inversely with the ''''on'''' cycle of the sample-and-hold circuits of said second complement.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 95 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said fader includes a cyclically operable main counter having an input source of clock pulses to be counted up to a predetermined number for determining the duration of an on-and-off cycle of the fader, and a fader counter responsive to said clock pulses and having digital adjusting means to provide an output signal after a smaller number of clock pulses then said predetermined number, and means responsive to both said main counter and said fader counter for determining the ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' intervals of the fader.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said entering means includes a memory unit having plural memories each corresponding in capacity to the capacity of said recirculating register, each memory having plural groups of intensity-control bits and means for selecting one of said memories for entry into said recirculating register by said entering means.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 57 words

Lighting control means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said entering means includes a manual light-intensity controller having means for providing a range of light-intensity codes, and channel-selecting timing means for controlling entry of a light-intensity code from said providing means into a channel of the recirculating register related to the lighting channel to be controlled thereby.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 113 words

Lighting control means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said entering means includes means for providing a succession of light-intensity codes for controlling respective lighting channels, means for coordinating the entry of said codes into the recirculating register with the circulation of the channels in the register, a gate for controlling the entry of said succession of codes into the recirculating register in lieu of the successive groups of bits recirculating in the register, and means responsive to the absence of a code at any point in the succession of codes for blocking said gate and thereby causing continued circulation of the group of bits then about to recirculate in the recirculating register.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 89 words

Lighting control means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said entering means includes a memory unit containing plural memories each including a storage channel for each of said lighting channels, means for selecting a memory for read-out from said memory unit, a parallel-to-serial converter for converting the contents of each storage channel into a sequence of bits for successive entry into said recirculating register, and timing means for causing successive channels of a selected memory to enter said parallel-to-serial converter for entry into successive channels of the recirculating register.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 69 words

Lighting control means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said entering means further includes manual light-intensity code-providing means, channel-selecting timing means, and switching means normally connecting said parallel-to-serial converter to the selected memory but operable in response to said channel-selecting timing means to switch the parallel-to-serial converter from the memory to said light-intensity code-providing means for entry of a selected code in a selected channel of the recirculating register.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 153 words

Control apparatus for plural lighting channels of one or more lighting units per channel, including a light-intensity control unit for each channel responsive to the time-averaged value of the applied control signal, a complement fo sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said control units, respectively, for providing said control signals, first and second recirculating registers, means for entering into each of said registeRs a succession of bits including successive groups of digital light-intensity codes, a common translating link for converting successive groups of successive bits constituting digital light-intensity codes into successive analog control signals for said sample-and-hold circuits, said translating link having a serial-to-parallel converter, a buffer storage register and a digital-to-analog converter arranged in the order named, means for coupling the successive analog signals from said digital-to-analog converter to said sample-and-hold circuits successively, and selective means for switching the serial-to-parallel converter of said translating link to one of said first and second recirculating registers.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 153 words

Control apparatus for plural lighting channels of one or more lighting units per channel, including a light-intensity control unit for each channel responsive to the time-averaged value of the applied control signal, a complement fo sample-and-hold circuits coupled to said control units, respectively, for providing said control signals, first and second recirculating registers, means for entering into each of said registeRs a succession of bits including successive groups of digital light-intensity codes, a common translating link for converting successive groups of successive bits constituting digital light-intensity codes into successive analog control signals for said sample-and-hold circuits, said translating link having a serial-to-parallel converter, a buffer storage register and a digital-to-analog converter arranged in the order named, means for coupling the successive analog signals from said digital-to-analog converter to said sample-and-hold circuits successively, and selective means for switching the serial-to-parallel converter of said translating link to one of said first and second recirculating registers.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 40 words

Control apparatus in accordance with claim 14 including means for synchronizing said switching means with said recirculating registers so that switching of the translating link away from either of said recirculating registers cannot occur within a group of successive bits.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 54 words

Control apparatus in accordance with claim 14 including timing means causing said recirculating registers to operate in synchronism and limiting the operation of the switching means so as to occur only at intervals equal to the time for an integral number of complete circulations but not to occur within a group of successive bits.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 109 words

Control apparatus in accordance with claim 14 wherein said bit entering means includes a memory unit having a plurality of memories each having plural channels comprising digital light-intensity codes, the plural channels of each memory corresponding to said plural lighting channels, and means for converting the plural channels of the memories into successive groups of bits for entry into a selected one of said recirculating registers, further including timing means causing said recirculating registers to operate in synchronism and limiting the operation of said switching means to occur only following an intergral number of circulations in the recirculating registers of whole digital codes for each of said plural channels.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 112 words

Control apparatus in accordance with claim 14, including timing means coordinating the circulation of said recirculating registers and said switching means so that switching occurs only after an integral number of circulations in the recirculating register of the groups of digital light-intensity codes for all of said plural lighting channels, further including fader means for reversing said switching means repeatedly so as to cause the codes of each recirculating register, when converted to analog form, to contribute to the light-intensity control in accordance with the ratio of the number of circulations of the first recirculating registers to the number of circulations of the second recirculating register when switched to said serial-to-parallel converter.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 85 words

Control apparatus in accordance with claim 18, wherein the fader includes a clock pulse source, a main pulse counter for establishing a switching period for operating said switching means, a fader pulse counter for causing reversal of the switching means at a time during the switching period to determine said ratio of numbers of circulations, the clock pulse source and the main and fader counters being coordinated with the operation of said recirculating registers for operating the switching means only after integral circulations as aforesaid.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 169 words

Lighting control apparatus, including at least one light-intensity control unit responsive to the averaged input signal, means for providing said control unit with an input analog signal representing a maximum desired light intensity, and a fader providing proportioned control of said control unit by said input analog signal, said fader including a pulse counter for establishing a fader cycle, a pulse source providing pulses to said pulse counter, bistable means providing an output having an active state and an inactive state, said bistable means being coupled to the analog signal providing means for causing the analog signal to be switched ''''on'''' in one of said states and to be switched ''''off'''' in the other of said states, and a fader counter responsive to said pulses and coordinated with said pulse counter and adjustable to operate in response to any number of pulses up to the number of pulses in the fader cycle, said pulse counter and said fader counter controlling said bistable means to reverse the state thereof repeatedly.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 169 words

Lighting control apparatus, including at least one light-intensity control unit responsive to the averaged input signal, means for providing said control unit with an input analog signal representing a maximum desired light intensity, and a fader providing proportioned control of said control unit by said input analog signal, said fader including a pulse counter for establishing a fader cycle, a pulse source providing pulses to said pulse counter, bistable means providing an output having an active state and an inactive state, said bistable means being coupled to the analog signal providing means for causing the analog signal to be switched ''''on'''' in one of said states and to be switched ''''off'''' in the other of said states, and a fader counter responsive to said pulses and coordinated with said pulse counter and adjustable to operate in response to any number of pulses up to the number of pulses in the fader cycle, said pulse counter and said fader counter controlling said bistable means to reverse the state thereof repeatedly.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 32 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 20, including a manual encoder controlling said fader counter for determining the number of pulses required by the fader counter to reverse the bistable means.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 34 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 20, including a time-variable encoder for adjusting said fader counter for determining the number of pulses required for reversing said bistable means, said fader thereby operating automatically.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 97 words

Lighting control apparatus in accordance with claim 20, adapted as a cross-fader, including second means for providing said control unit with an analog control signal representing another maximum desired light intensity, an OR gate coupling both of said analog signal providing means to said light-intensity control unit, said bistable means providing another output having two states, the state of one output being the inverse of the other, each output in one state rendering a related one of said analog control signals active and in the other state rendering the related one of said analog control signals inactive.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-10-01	1977-04-02	1977-10-02	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-10-01	1981-04-02	1981-10-02	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-10-01	1985-04-02	1985-10-02	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Stage lighting systems

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