Light control circuit

Claim 2

In a lamp circuit having plural output connections for sequentially energizing plural groups of lamps, a timing a control circuit for selectively providing the repeated application of electrical energy to the plural output connections in one of two available modes and including plural controlled semiconductor switch means, means for causing the semiconductor switch means sequentially to begin to conduct, means for stopping conduction of all of said semiconductor switch means simultaneously to complete a sequence of the first of the two modes, circuit means operatively coupling together several of the semiconductor switch means and including circuit modifying switch means for altering said circuit means to cause sequentially conducting semiconductor switch means to stop the conduction of previously conducting semiconductor switch means for one at a time conduction of the semiconductor switch means in the second of the two modes.

Claim 3

The lamp circuit of claim 1, wherein the means for stopping conduction of all semiconductor switch means is connected with and stops the condUction of only the last conducting semiconductor switch means in the second mode.

Claim 4

The lamp circuit of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor switch means are a set of semiconductor controlled rectifiers, the means for stopping conduction includes a further semiconductor controlled rectifier and commutation capacitors connected by the semiconductor controlled rectifier of the conduction stopping means to the set of semiconductor controlled rectifiers to quench the semiconductor controlled rectifiers of the semiconductor switch means, and the selectively operable switch means is connected to connect the commutation capacitors and the subsequently conducting semiconducting controlled rectifiers of said set in current diverting relationship to previously conducting semiconductor controlled rectifiers of said set to quench the previously conducting semiconductor controlled recifiers.

Claim 5

The lamp circuit of claim 1, including a further selectively operable switch in circuit with at least two of the semiconductor switch means and operable to change the output connections controlled by the semiconductor switch means to thereby change the sequence in which the output connections are energized.

Claim 6

The lamp circuit of claim 1, including controlled semiconductor lamp current switches, each in series with an output connection for conducting current to lamps connected with the output connections and each having a control connection in circuit with one of the semiconductor switch means for activation by the semiconductor switch means.

Claim 7

The lamp circuit of claim 5, further including a slave circuit comprising additional controlled semiconductor lamp current switches, each connected in series with an additional slave output connection for an additional group of lamps, for conducting current to lamps connected with the output connection, and each semiconductor lamp current switch having a control connection in circuit with one of the first mentioned output connections for simultaneous control of energization of the additional slave output connections with the first mentioned output connections.

Claim 8

The lamp circuit of claim 6, including separate means for supplying electrical energy from separate sources to said slave circuit and to the first mentioned output connections and semiconductor lamp current switches in circuit.

Claim 9

The lamp circuit of claim 5 further including indicator lamps each connected with one output connection to provide a remote indication of the sequence, mode, and timing of energization of the output connections.

Claim 10

The lamp circuit of claim 5, wherein the output connections include a universal connector with one common connection and other connections each controlled by one semiconductor lamp current switch.

Claim 11

The lamp circuit of claim 1, wherein the plural controlled semiconductor switch means are three controlled rectifiers, the means for stopping conduction includes a further controlled rectifer connected with commutation capacitors and conductable to connect the commutation capacitors in current diverting parallel relationship to each of the three other controlled rectifiers to complete a single sequence of the first mode, and the selectively operable switch means is a switch connected in circuit with at least one of the commutation capacitors and two of the three controlled rectifiers of the controlled semiconductor switch means, said switch being closable to place at least one of said commutation capacitors and the second-conducting of said three controlled rectifiers in current diverting parallel relation to the first-conducting of said three controlled rectifiers and to place at least another of said commutation capacitors and the third-conducting of said three controlled rectifiers in current diverting parallel relation to the second-conducting of said three controlled rectifiers, said further controlled rectifier of the conduction stopping means being conductable to place a commutation capacitor in current diverting parallel relation to the third-conducting of said controlled rectifiers to complete a single sequence of the second mode.

Claim 12

The lamp circuit of claim 10, wherein each controlled rectifier of a semiconductor switch means is connected to a control connection of a semiconductor lamp current switch means in series with one of the output connections, the circuit further including a reversing switch connected with the first-conducting and the third-conducting controlled rectifiers and actuable alternatively to interconnect the first and third controlled rectifiers with a first or third of said semiconductor lamps current switches, whereby the control signals only are reversed to reverse the sequence of output energization without switching the much higher lamp currents to the outputs.

Claim 13

A lamp circuit having plural output connections for sequentially energized plural groups of lamps, oscillator means for controlling the timing of sequential energization, semiconductor controlled switch means for conducting in response to energization of a control electrode thereof, a commutating quenching circuit interconnecting the semiconductor controlled switch means and including commutating capacitors for each semiconductor controlled switch means, a further controlled quenching switch means connected with the quenching circuit for completing a circuit including a commutating capacitor across each semiconductor controlled switch means to simultaneously quench all of said semiconductor controlled switch means in a chaser mode of operation, and manually selectable impedance altering switch means in said quenching circuit for changing the time constant of the quenching circuit to cause successively conducting semiconductor switch means to establish a commutating circuit across a previously conducting semiconductor switch means to quench said previously conducting semiconductor switch means in a ring counter mode of operation.

Claim 14

A lamp circuit having plural output connections for sequentially energized plural groups of lamps, oscillator means for controlling the timing of sequential energization, semiconductor controlled switch means for conducting in response to energization of a control electrode thereof, a commutating quenching circuit interconnecting the semiconductor controlled switch means and including commutating capacitors for each semiconductor controlled switch means, a further controlled quenching switch means connected with the quenching circuit for completing a circuit including a commutating capacitor across each semiconductor controlled switch means to simultaneously quench all of said semiconductor controlled switch means in a chaser mode of operation, and manually selectable impedance altering switch means in said quenching circuit for changing the time constant of the quenching circuit to cause successively conducting semiconductor switch means to establish a commutating circuit across a previously conducting semiconductor switch means to quench said previously conducting semiconductor switch means in a ring counter mode of operation.