Patent Application
20100238127
The invention relates to a system comprising a lighting control console for controlling a lighting system, and an external simulation computer connected thereto for calculating a three-dimensional simulation of a light show as recited in the preamble of claim 1.
Known lighting control consoles are used for controlling lighting systems such as are used, for example, in theaters and/or on concert hall stages. These lighting systems normally include a large number of lighting devices, stage spotlights for example, wherein for their part, the lighting devices alone can be switched among a wide range of lighting states, for example different colors. The various lighting devices with their different lighting states are controlled by programmable parameters in the lighting program of the lighting control console.
Conventional lighting systems may include as many as several thousand lighting devices. The lighting control consoles provided for controlling the lighting devices typically include a housing that accommodates and protects the electronic hardware components necessary for the function from external influences. A microcontroller, for example a complex digital processor that enables digital data and signal processing, is typically present in the housing to control the complex lighting systems. Control elements, such as keys, slide controllers and/or rotary controllers, are also provided on the housing to enable operating commands to be input. The lighting control console is typically furnished with display devices as well, for example color monitors, so that user data can be displayed.
Programming a light show can be extremely time-consuming, since many parameters have to be set. In order to reduce the costs of programming light shows, its is known from the related art to simulate the light show first and to display the desired effects on a display device in the form of a virtual light show simulation. In this way, the rough preliminary work can be carried out when the light show is programmed, without using the actual stage, which results in considerable cost savings. In systems according to the invention, simulation computers are used to calculate the three-dimensional simulation of the light show, and the hardware in such computers must be capable of very high computing power in order to be able to carry out the calculations required to run the simulation within an acceptable period of time. The simulation computer is installed together with its hardware in its own housing, separately from the lighting control console. The advantage of this is that the simulation computer is able to be replaced very easily, for example when an older simulation computer has to be replaced with a new simulation computer having even more powerful hardware. For the purposes of data, the lighting control console and the simulation computer in the system are connected via data links, so that data may be transmitted between the lighting control console and the simulation computer.
In the known systems comprising a lighting control console and a simulation computer, dedicated input devices, for example a computer keyboard or a computer mouse, are provided to enable input commands to be entered in the simulation computer. In other words, this means that the control elements on the lighting control console must be used to input operating commands into the lighting control console, and the control elements on the simulation computer must be used to input operating commands into simulation computer. This arrangement whereby input commands are entered separately into the lighting control console on the one hand and into the simulation computer on the other hand is a major disadvantage in terms of operating convenience, since the user is required to switch between the different input devices for each.
Based on the existing art, the object of the present invention is therefore to suggest a novel system comprising a lighting control console and a simulation computer in which user convenience is improved.
This object is achieved with a system according to the teaching of claim 1.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the object of the subordinate claims.
The system according to the invention, comprising a lighting control console and a simulation computer, relies on the basic idea of providing at least one input data line between the lighting control console and the simulation computer to connect the lighting control console to the simulation computer. This input data line serves to transmit data the user has entered with the control elements on the lighting control console to the simulation computer. As a result, this makes it possible to control the simulation computer by entering operating commands with the control elements on the lighting control console. Separate control elements for controlling the simulation computer directly are thus no longer needed, since both the lighting control console itself and the simulation computer may be controlled by entering operating commands with the control elements on the lighting control console. Consequently, the control elements on the lighting control console serve a dual purpose, that of controlling both the lighting control console and also the simulation computer. The requisite data transmission takes place via the input data line between the lighting control console and the simulation computer.
In general, any control elements may be provided on the lighting control console for controlling the simulation computer. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lighting control console is equipped with a touch-sensitive sensing face, and touching the touch-sensitive sensing face in the area of a contact surface may cause an operator input assigned to the respective contact surface to be selected and transmitted to the simulation computer as an operating command. This type of touch-screen control helps to increase convenience considerably for users who are programming and controlling the simulation computer.
It is also particularly advantageous if multiple simultaneous touches of contact surfaces are able to be detected at the sensing face of the display unit and to be transmitted together to the simulation computer as an operator input. Multi-touch input commands of such kind enable a completely new operating concept for programming and controlling the simulation computer.
The use of a touch-sensitive display unit enables either keys and/or slide controllers and/or rotary controllers to be introduced as control elements for controlling and programming the simulation computer.
In many cases, the lighting control console itself is also equipped with an internal simulation computer for calculating a three-dimensional simulation of the light show that is to be controlled by the lighting control console. If this is the case, the internal simulation computer in the housing of the lighting control console should be capable of exchanging data with the external simulation computer via a data line, so that it is possible to synchronize the two simulation computers.
The basis for calculating the light show simulation is the configuration of the lighting devices in the actual lighting system. This configuration may be described by configuration data in a configuration file. In order to enable the data be administered consistently, the configuration file in the lighting control console that describes the configuration of the actual lighting system should be connected to the external simulation computer via a data line. In this way, it becomes possible to transmit the configuration data from the configuration file to the simulation computer for calculating the light show that is controlled by the lighting control console, for analysis and use by the computer.
In general, the configuration file may contain any configuration data. According to a preferred embodiment, the configuration file contains configuration data for describing the arrangement of the lighting devices on the stage.
Alternatively or additionally, the configuration file may also contain configuration data for describing the function parameters of the lighting device and/or configuration data for describing three-dimensional objects on the stage, stage props, for example.
An embodiment of the invention is shown in diagrammatic form in the drawing and will be explained for exemplary purposes in the following.
In the drawing:
The lighting control console 02 is equipped with a plurality of control elements, keys 06, slide controllers 07 and rotary controllers 08 to enable the user to enter operating commands. The operating commands entered via the control elements 06, 07 and 08 may serve either to control and program the lighting control console 02 directly or to control and program the simulation computer 03. If the operating commands entered via the control elements 06, 07 and 08 are used for controlling and programming the simulation computer 03, the corresponding input data is transmitted from the lighting control console 02 to the simulation computer 03 via the input data line 04. In order to make it still easier to enter operating commands, the lighting control console 02 is also equipped with a touch-sensitive display device 09. Operating commands may be entered via this touch-sensitive display device 09 by touching the touch-sensitive display device 09. Three further display devices 10, 11 and 12 are also present on the lighting control console 02 for displaying operating menus.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12409197 | Mar 2009 | US |
| Child | 12467685 | US |
