JP2007525690A - Tile light emitting method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A tile lighting system is provided in which an interior space of a tile is illuminated by LEDs, for example, in a grid form or an edge illumination form, and a light diffusing panel is disposed on the interior space. A tile lighting system can be combined with others to tile any surface, such as a floor, ceiling, wall or building exterior. A lighting control signal can be provided to generate a wide range of effects on the tile lighting unit, including effects coordinated between different tile lighting units. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional embodiments are possible.

Description

Priority application This application claims priority of the following applications:
US Provisional Patent Application No. 60/464185, “Tile Lighting Methods and Systems”, filed April 21, 2003,
US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 467,913, “Tile Lighting Methods and Systems”, filed May 5, 2003,
US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 500,754, “Tile Lighting Methods and Systems” filed September 5, 2003,
US Provisional Application No. 60/523903, “Light System Manager”, filed November 20, 2003, and US Provisional Application No. 60/558400, “Methods and Systems for Providing Lighting Components”, March 31, 2004. Date application.

Background LED-based lighting methods and systems have been developed and marketed by Color Kinetics Incorporated, and are incorporated by reference in patents, patent applications, and other documents. It is known including what is disclosed. There is a need for improved luminaires that include specific forms of luminaires, including luminaires that take the form of tiles, and that take full advantage of the inventive aspects of LED-based lighting methods and systems.

Summary The methods and systems disclosed herein include those that provide a tile lighting system that can be configured into a two-dimensional shape, such as a square, rectangle, circle, polygon, or other shape. . In this specification, a method for controlling the light output from such a tile light, a method for mechanically constructing a tile light to provide optimum light output, and connecting the tile light to each other. Thus, methods for facilitating addressing and controlling such tile illuminators, methods for authoring effects presented by such tile illuminators, and other aspects of methods and systems are disclosed.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein also include three-dimensional lights that include a combination of simple geometric flat circuit boards. For example, a substantially spherical lighting unit can be formed from a simple polygonal circuit board such as a triangle, hexagon or pentagon. Similarly, the pyramidal light emitting unit can be formed of a triangular light emitting unit. Such a three-dimensional light-emitting unit can be addressed, powered and controlled in the manner described for other light-emitting units herein, and the effects of such light-emitting units are described herein. Can be authored using methods and systems.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include a control protocol that places a plurality of light emitting units in a serial configuration and controls them all by a stream of data to a respective ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), Each lighting system responds to the first unmodified bit of data in the stream, modifies the data bit and transmits the stream to the next ASIC. This protocol is sometimes referred to herein as a “string light”, such as that described in a patent application sold by Color Kinetic, Inc. and incorporated herein by reference. It is described as a protocol or as a Chromasic protocol.

  The method and system further provide a communication function of the lighting system, in which the lighting system is responsive to data from a source external to the lighting system. Data can come from signal sources external to the lighting system. The signal source may be a wireless signal source. In some aspects, the signal source includes a sensor that detects an environmental condition, and the control of the lighting system is responsive to the environmental condition. In some aspects, the signal source generates a signal based on a scripted lighting program for the lighting system.

  In some aspects, control of the lighting system is based on assigning lighting system units as objects in an object-oriented computer program. In some aspects, the computer program is an authoring system. In some aspects, the authoring system relates an attribute in the virtual system to a real world attribute of the lighting system. In some aspects, the real world attribute includes the location of the lighting unit of the lighting system. In some aspects, the computer program is a computer game. In other aspects, the computer program is a music program.

In some aspects of the methods and systems provided herein, the lighting system includes a power source. In some aspects, the power source is a power factor controlled power source. In some aspects, the power source is a two-stage power source. In some aspects, the power factor correction includes an energy storage capacitor and a DC-DC converter. In some embodiments, the PFC and energy storage capacitor are separated from the DC-DC converter by a bus.
In some aspects of the methods and systems provided herein, the lighting system further comprises disposing at least one such lighting unit in or on the building. In some embodiments, the light emitting units are arranged in an array on a building. In some embodiments, the arrangement is configured to facilitate the display of at least one of numbers, words, letters, logos, brands, and symbols. In some embodiments, the array is configured to display a light show that includes a time-based effect.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include methods and systems that provide a tile lighting system. The tile lighting system may include a plurality of addressable light emitting units arranged in a grid, a controller for controlling lighting from the addressable light emitting unit, and a light diffusing cover for covering the grid . In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover may include a phosphorescent material. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is substantially translucent. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is given a geometric shape. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is provided with an irregular pattern.

In some aspects, the lighting system is configured to be placed in the vicinity of a similar lighting system in a tile arrangement. In some embodiments, the light emitting unit is controlled using a string light protocol. In some embodiments, the lighting system may include an authoring system for authoring effects on the tile lighting system. In some aspects, the lighting system can coordinate effects with another similar lighting system.
In some embodiments, the lighting system is located in a building environment. In some embodiments, the lighting system is located on a building exterior.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include providing a tile illuminator that is arranged in an array on a circuit board to produce mixed light of various colors in response to a control signal. A plurality of LED light emitting units to be generated and a diffuser for receiving light from the light emitting units are included. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover may include a phosphorescent material. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is substantially translucent. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is provided with a geometric shape. In some embodiments, the light diffusing cover is provided with an irregular pattern.

  In some embodiments, the methods and systems may include an authoring system for authoring effects for the lighting system. In some aspects, the authoring system is an object-oriented authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed on the array corresponds to a graphical representation of the authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed on the array corresponds to the input video signal. In some embodiments, the array is arranged in an architectural environment. In some embodiments, the array is located on the building exterior.

  A method and system disclosed herein includes a plurality of linear LED light emitting units disposed around the periphery of a substantially rectangular housing, and a tile light emission comprising a diffuser for diffusing light from the light emitting units Including providing a body. In some embodiments, the diffuser comprises a phosphorescent material, is substantially translucent, is given a geometric shape, or is given a rectangular pattern. In some embodiments, the methods and systems include a reflector in the housing for providing a constant level of light output to different portions of the diffuser. In some embodiments, the housing is divided into a plurality of cells. In some embodiments, the cell is rectangular. In some embodiments, the cell is a triangle. In some embodiments, the methods and systems include an authoring system for authoring the effects of the lighting system. In some aspects, the authoring system is an object-oriented authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed on the array corresponds to a geometric representation of the authoring function. In some embodiments, this arrangement is placed in a building environment. In some embodiments, this array is located on the building exterior.

  The methods and systems described herein are a series of LED-based light emitting units, each light emitting unit being configured to respond to data addressed thereto in a serial addressing protocol and as a flexible string. And a series of light emitting units configured and a fastening function for holding the flexible string in a predetermined configuration. In some aspects, this fastening function is a substantially linear channel for holding the flexible string. In some embodiments, this fastening function holds the flexible strings in an array. In some aspects, the methods and systems include an authoring system that authors effects for the lighting system. In some aspects, the authoring system is an object-oriented authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed in the array corresponds to a geometric representation of the authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed in the array corresponds to the input video signal. In some embodiments, this arrangement is placed in a building environment. In some embodiments, this array is located on the building exterior.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include a series of LED-based light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board such that each light emitting unit responds to data addressed thereto in a serial addressing protocol. Comprising module components for a lighting system. These methods and systems can also include an authoring system for authoring effects for the lighting system. In some aspects, the authoring system is an object-oriented authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed on the array corresponds to a graphical representation of the authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed on the array corresponds to the input video signal. In some aspects, the circuit board is a flexible circuit board. In some embodiments, the circuit board is a printed circuit board. In some embodiments, this arrangement is placed in a building environment. In some embodiments, this array is located on the building exterior.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include a method and system for providing a lighting system, the lighting system including a plurality of modular components, each modular component being arranged on a circuit board. And a series of LED-based light emitting units, each light emitting unit being configured to respond to data addressed thereto in a serial addressing protocol. In some aspects, the modular components are placed adjacent to each other to form a large array of modular components. The method and system may include an authoring system that authors effects for the lighting system. In some aspects, the authoring system is an object-oriented authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed in the large array corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function. In some aspects, the effect displayed in the array corresponds to the input video signal. In some embodiments, this arrangement is placed in a building environment. In some embodiments, this array is located on the building exterior.

  The methods and systems disclosed herein include lighting devices that are controlled, networked, or not networked. The basic building block includes a semiconductor-based lighting device, such as a light emitting diode (LED) used to illuminate the surface. Systems and methods for generating surfaces that provide color patterns and the ability to change color at various scales are included. In many embodiments, the device can be incorporated into any 2D or 3D surface. In some aspects, the illuminated surface includes a geometry that maximizes the light output, homogenizes and diffuses the light output, and shapes the light output. The viewing surface incorporates textures and 2D or 3D forms that guide and direct light in the direction of the viewer.

Various fastening methods for mounting the device on or in the surface are also described.
For purposes of this disclosure, as used herein, the term “LED” refers to any light emitting diode or other type of carrier injection / junction based system that can generate radiation in response to an electrical signal. Should be understood as including. That is, the term LED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor base structures that emit light in response to current, light emitting polymers, light emitting strips, electroluminescent strips, and the like.

  In particular, the term LED refers to radiation in one or more of the infrared spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, and various portions of the visible spectrum (generally including emission wavelengths from about 400 nanometers to about 700 nanometers). All types of light emitting diodes (including semiconductors and organic light emitting diodes) that can be configured to produce Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to, various types of infrared LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs, red LEDs, blue LEDs, green LEDs, yellow LEDs, amber LEDs, orange LEDs, and white LEDs (below) Described in detail below). It should also be understood that an LED can be configured to produce radiation having a variety of bandwidths (eg, narrowband, wideband) for a given spectrum.

  The LED (s) in the system according to the present invention can be any color, including white, ultraviolet, infrared, or other colors within its electromagnetic spectral range. As used herein, the term “LED” includes, without limitation, all types of light emitting diodes, light emitting polymers, semiconductor dies that generate light in response to current, organic LEDs, electroluminescent strips. , And other similar systems should be further understood. In one aspect, “LED” may refer to a single light emitting diode having a plurality of individually controlled semiconductor dies. It should also be understood that the term “LED” does not limit the type of LED package. The term “LED” includes packaged LEDs, non-packaged LEDs, surface mount LEDs, chip on board LEDs and all other configurations of LEDs. The term “LED” also includes LEDs that are packaged with or associated with a material (eg, phosphorous) that can convert the energy from the LED to a different wavelength.

  For example, one implementation of an LED configured to generate essentially white light (eg, a white LED) may include a number of dies that are inherently mixed and mixed together. Each emits a different spectrum of luminescence forming a white color. In another implementation, a white light LED can be associated with a phosphorous material that converts luminescence having a first spectrum to a different second spectrum. In one example of such an implementation, luminescence having a relatively short wavelength and a narrow band spectrum “pumps” the phosphor material, which is longer than the phosphor material has a somewhat broad spectrum. Emits radiation of wavelength.

  It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit the physical and / or electrical package type of the LED. For example, as described above, an LED may refer to a single light emitting device having multiple dies that each emit radiation of a different wavelength (eg, individually controllable or not possible). An LED can also be associated with phosphorus that can be considered an integral part of the LED (eg, some types of white LEDs). In general, the term LED refers to packaged LEDs, non-packaged LEDs, surface mounted LEDs, chip-on-board LEDs, radial packaged LEDs, power packaged LEDs, certain containers and / or optical elements (eg, diffusing lenses) ) And the like.

  The term “light source” should be understood to refer to any one or more of a variety of light sources, including but not limited to those described above. LED-based light sources, incandescent sources (eg filament lamps, halogen lamps), fluorescent sources, phosphorous light sources, high-intensity discharge sources (eg sodium lamps, mercury lamps, metal halide lamps), lasers, and other types of luminescence Source, electroluminescence source, pyroluminescence source (eg flame), candle luminescence source (eg gas mantle, carbon arc emission source), photoluminescence source (eg gaseous discharge source), electronic saturation Cathode luminescence sources, galvano-luminescent sources, crystal luminescence sources, kine luminescence Scan source (kine-luminescent sources), thermoluminescence source, preparative ribonucleic luminescent sources, sono-luminescent sources (sonoluminescent sources), radiation luminescent sources, and luminescent polymers.

  Any light source can be configured to generate electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, or a combination of both. Accordingly, the terms “light” and “radiation” are used interchangeably herein. In addition, a light source can include one or more filters (eg, color filters), lenses, or other optical components as an integral component. It should also be understood that the light source can be configured for a variety of applications, including but not limited to display and / or illumination. An “illumination source” is a light source that is specifically configured to generate radiation having sufficient intensity to effectively illuminate an interior or exterior space.

  An LED system is a kind of illumination source. As used herein, it should be understood that “illumination source” includes all illumination sources, such as LED systems and pyrophores such as filament lamps, flames, etc. Incandescent light sources including luminescence sources, candle luminescence sources such as gas mantles and carbon arc emission sources, and electroluminescence sources such as gaseous discharges, fluorescent sources, phosphorous light sources, lasers, electroluminescent lamps, light emitting diodes, And photoluminescence sources, including cathodoluminescence sources using electron saturation, as well as galvano-luminescent sources, crystal luminescence sources, kine-luminescent sources, thermoluminescence sources, Tririboluminescence source, sonoluminescent sources, and radiation There are other luminescent sources, including Minesensu source. The illumination source also includes a luminescent polymer capable of producing a primary color.

  The term “illuminate” should be understood to mean producing radiation of a certain frequency by an illumination source. The term “color” should be understood to mean any frequency within a certain spectral range. That is, as used herein, “color” should be understood to encompass not only the visible spectrum, but also the spectrum of the infrared and ultraviolet regions and the electromagnetic spectrum of other regions. .

  The term “spectrum” should be understood to mean any one or more frequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more light sources. Thus, the term “spectrum” should be understood to mean not only the frequencies in the visible region, but also the frequencies of the entire electromagnetic spectrum in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other regions. Also, a particular spectrum can have a relatively narrow band (essentially few frequencies or wavelength components) or a relatively wide band (several frequencies or wavelength components with various relative intensities). It should also be appreciated that a particular spectrum may be the result of a mixture of one or more spectra (eg, a mixture of radiation each emitted from multiple light sources).

  For the purposes of this disclosure, the term “color” is used interchangeably with the term “spectrum”. However, the term “color” is generally used to refer fundamentally to the characteristics of radiation perceivable by the viewer (however, such use is not intended to limit the scope of the term). Absent). Thus, the term “different colors” implies different spectra with different wavelength components and / or bandwidths. It should also be appreciated that the term “color” can be used in connection with both white and non-white light.

  The term “color temperature” is generally used herein in connection with white light, but such usage is not intended to limit the scope of this term. Color temperature essentially means a particular color component or shade of white light (eg, reddish, bluish). The color temperature of a particular radiant sample is characterized by the Kelvin absolute temperature (K) of a blackbody radiator that, according to conventional methods, emits essentially the same spectrum as the radiant sample in question. In general, the color temperature of white light is in the range from about 700 degrees K (generally considered the lowest temperature visible to the human eye) to 10,000 degrees K or more.

  Low color temperatures generally indicate strong or “warm” white light with a red component, while high color temperatures generally indicate strong blue component or “cold” white light. Show. As an example, the color temperature of fire burning wood is about 1,800 degrees K, the color temperature of a conventional incandescent bulb is about 2848 degrees K, the color temperature of early morning sunlight is about 3,000 degrees K, and The color temperature of the cloudy daytime sky is about 10,000 degrees K. A color image viewed under white light with a color temperature of about 3,000 degrees K has a relatively reddish hue, whereas the same color viewed under white light with a color temperature of about 10,000 degrees K The image has a relatively bluish tone.

  The terms “lighting unit” and “lighting fixture” are used interchangeably herein and refer to a device that includes one or more light sources of the same or different types. A particular light emitting unit can be any one of a fixture arrangement for various types of light source (s), a housing / housing arrangement and shape, and / or an electrical or mechanical connection configuration. Can be selected. In addition, certain light emitting units are optionally associated (eg, included, coupled, and / or together) with various other components (eg, control circuitry) related to the operation of the light source (s). Can be packaged). “LED-based light-emitting unit” means a light-emitting unit that includes one or more LED-based light sources, as described above, alone or in combination with other non-LED-based light sources.

  The terms “processor” or “controller” are used interchangeably herein to represent various devices involved in the operation of one or more light sources. The processor or controller can be implemented in many ways, for example, programmed using software (eg, microcode or firmware) to perform the various functions described herein. Dedicated hardware method using one or more microprocessors, or dedicated hardware that performs some functions, and a microprocessor programmed to perform other functions and related It is a method of combining with a circuit. In particular, the processor can include an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit.

  In various implementations, the processor or controller may include one or more storage media (collectively referred to herein as “memory”, eg, RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, floppy (registered). Trademark) disk, compact disk, optical disk, magnetic tape, etc., volatile and non-volatile computer memory). In some implementations, the storage medium encodes one or more programs, and when the programs are executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, It is possible to perform at least some of the functions mentioned in the book. In order to implement the various aspects of the invention described herein, the various storage media may be fixed within the processor or controller, or may be stored as one or two stored therein. The above program may be loaded into the processor or controller. The term “program” or “computer program” is used herein in a general sense to include one by searching for a stored instruction order to program one or more processors or controllers. Any type of computer code (eg, software or microcode) that can be used is used.

  The term “addressable” as used herein is configured to receive information (eg, data) for multiple devices, including itself, and selectively respond to specific information thereto. Device (eg, a light source in general, a light emitting unit or light fixture, a controller or processor associated with one or more light sources or light emitting units, other non-light emitting related devices, etc.). The term “addressable” is frequently used in connection with a networked environment (or “network”, further described below), in which multiple devices may communicate with any communication medium (one or more). ).

  In one implementation, one or more devices coupled to the network are used as controllers for one or more other devices coupled to the network (eg, in a master / slave relationship). Can play a role. In another implementation, the networked environment may include one or more dedicated controllers configured to control one or more of the devices coupled to the network. In general, multiple devices coupled to a network can each access data on the communication medium (s), but a particular device can have one or more assigned to it. In configuring to selectively exchange data with a network (ie, receive data from and / or send data to it) based on a particular identifier (eg, “address”), “address Can be specified. In another implementation, the device may be configured to receive data along a path, such as placing data in a certain order or along a line or string. In such an implementation, data may be addressed to a particular light emitting unit according to the ordinal position within the string. That is, the first unit responds to the data of the first packet, the second unit responds to the data of the second packet, and so on. This means, for example, that each light emitting unit corrects the data of the packet addressed to it (for example, by placing “1” in the first position of 1 byte of data) This can be accomplished by having the light emitting unit respond to the initial unmodified packet data. This implementation and other implementations that rely on the sequential position of the light emitting units along the string of light emitting units are referred to herein as the “string light” protocol.

  As used herein, the term “network” refers to any two or more devices and / or between multiple devices coupled to the network (eg, device control, data storage, data exchange). Means any interconnection of two or more devices (including a controller or processor) that facilitates the transfer of information (for example). It should be immediately recognized that various network implementations suitable for interconnecting multiple devices include any of a variety of network topologies and use any of a variety of communication protocols. it can. Furthermore, in various networks according to the present invention, any one connection between two devices can represent a dedicated connection or alternatively a non-dedicated connection between the two systems. In addition to carrying information for two devices, such a non-dedicated connection can carry information that is not necessarily specified for either of the two devices (eg, an open network connection). Further, the various networks of devices described herein can facilitate the movement of information throughout the network using one or more wireless, wired / cable, and / or fiber optic links. Should be recognized immediately.

  The lighting system described herein also includes a user interface that is used to change and / or select the lighting effects displayed by the lighting system. Communication between the user interface and the processor can be accomplished by wired or wireless communication. As used herein, the term “user interface” refers to a human user or operator and one or more devices that allow communication between the user and the device or devices. Means the interface between. Examples of user interfaces that can be used in various implementations of the present invention include, but are not limited to, switches, human-machine interfaces, operator interfaces, potentiometers, buttons, dials, slide switches, mice, keyboards, keys. Receives and responds to pads, various types of game controllers (eg, joysticks), trackballs, display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIS), touch screens, microphones, and some form of human generated stimulus There are other types of sensors that produce the same signal.

  It should be appreciated that all combinations of the above concepts with additional concepts discussed in more detail below are considered subject matter of the invention disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appended to this disclosure are considered to be part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following description relates to several illustrative embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art can envision many variations of the invention, but such variations and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the following disclosure under any circumstances.
Various aspects of the invention are described below, including several aspects that relate specifically to LED-based light sources. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular implementation and that the various aspects explicitly described herein are primarily for illustrative purposes. . For example, the various concepts described herein include LED-based light sources, various environments that include other types of light sources that do not include LEDs, environments that include combinations of LEDs and other types of light sources, and non-light emitting related devices. Only or in an environment including various types of light sources in combination.

  FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a light emitting unit 100 useful as a device in a light emitting environment according to one aspect of the present invention. Some examples of LED-based light emitting units similar to those described below in connection with FIG. 1 are, for example, “Multicolored LED Lighting Method and Apparatus” awarded to Mueller et al. US Pat. No. 6,016,038 in the name and US Pat. No. 6,211,626, entitled “Illumination Components”, issued to Lys et al. On April 3, 2001.

  In various aspects of the present invention, the light emitting unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 is used alone or other similar in the light emitting unit system (eg, described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 2). Can be used with other light emitting units. By using alone or in combination with other light-emitting units, the light-emitting unit 100 can be used for, but not limited to, indoor or outdoor space lighting in general, indirect or direct lighting of objects or spaces, theater or other entertainment. Various, including base / special effects lighting, decorative lighting, safety-oriented lighting, vehicle lighting, display and / or merchandise (eg for advertising and / or retail / consumer environments), combined lighting and communication systems, etc. Along with applications, it can be used for various display and information purposes.

  Further, one or more light emitting units similar to those described in connection with FIG. 1 may include, but are not limited to, various forms of light emitting devices, various forms of light emitter modules, or various types of light emitting units. Various, along with various products, including valves with shapes and electrical / mechanical coupling arrangements (including replacement modules or “retrofit” modules or valves adapted for use with conventional sockets or instruments) It can be implemented in consumer and / or household products (eg, night lights, toys, games or game components, entertainment components or systems, tableware, appliances, kitchenware, laundry products, etc.).

  In one aspect, the light emitting unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes one or more light sources 104, such as the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C and 104D of FIG. 1, including one or more of these light sources, It can be an LED-based light source that includes one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). In one aspect of this embodiment, any two or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D are adapted to generate radiation of different colors (eg, red, green, and blue, respectively). Can do. Although FIG. 1 shows four light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D, the light emitting unit is not limited in this respect and produces a variety of different colored emissions, including essentially white light. Different numbers and different types of light sources (all LED-based light sources, combinations of LED-based and non-LED-based light sources, etc.) adapted to be used in the light-emitting unit 100 as detailed below It should be recognized that it can be done.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 includes a processor 102, which outputs one or more control signals that drive the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D to produce various intensities from the light source. Can be configured to generate light. For example, in one implementation, the configuration of the processor 102 can be configured to output at least one control signal for each light source and independently control the intensity of light generated by each light source. . Some examples of control signals that can be generated by the processor to control the light source include, but are not limited to, a pulse modulation signal, a pulse width modulation signal (PWM), a pulse amplitude modulation signal (PAM), There are pulse displacement modulation signals, analog control signals (eg, current control signals, voltage control signals), combinations and / or modulations of the signals, or other control signals. In one aspect, the processor 102 can control other dedicated circuits (not shown in FIG. 1), which can control the light sources to change the intensity of each light source.

  A light emitting system according to this specification can operate LEDs in an efficient manner. Standard LED performance characteristics depend on the amount of current consumed by the LED. The optimum effect is obtained at a current lower than the level that produces the maximum brightness. An LED is typically driven far above its most efficient operating current to increase the brightness it provides while maintaining a reasonable lifetime. As a result, the efficiency can be improved when the maximum current value of the PWM signal is variable. For example, the current maximum and / or PWM signal width can be reduced when the desired light output is less than the maximum required output. This can be, for example, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), but the width and amplitude of the current used to drive the LED can be varied to optimize LED performance.

  In one aspect, the lighting system can be adapted to provide only amplitude control of the current passing through the LED. Although many of the aspects listed herein describe the use of PWM and PAM to drive LEDs, those skilled in the art have many techniques for achieving the LED control described herein. You will understand that there is. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited by any control technique. In some aspects, other techniques such as pulse frequency modulation (PFM) or pulse displacement modulation (PDM) such as a combination of PWM and / or PAM may be used.

  Pulse width modulation (PWM) means supplying a substantially constant current to the LED for a period of time. The shorter the time or pulse width, the lower the brightness observed by the observer in the resulting light. Because the human eye integrates the light it receives over time, the current passing through the LEDs can produce the same light level regardless of the pulse interval, but the human eye has a short pulse. Will be perceived as “dimmer” more than a long pulse. Although the PWM technique is considered a preferred technique for driving an LED, the present invention is not limited to such a technique. When a lighting system is provided with two or more color LEDs, many color variations can be generated by mixing these colors and changing the intensity or perceived intensity of the LEDs. In one aspect, three color LEDs (eg, red, green, and blue) are presented and each of these colors is driven with PWM to change its apparent intensity. This system allows the generation of millions of colors (eg, 16.7 million colors when using 8-bit control for each of the PWM channels).

  In one aspect, the LED modulates with PWM and by modulating the amplitude of the current driving the LED (pulse amplitude modulation or PAM). LED efficiency increases to a maximum value as a function of current, followed by a decrease in efficiency. Typically, an LED is driven at a current level that exceeds its maximum efficiency in order to obtain higher brightness while maintaining an acceptable lifetime. The purpose is generally to maximize the light output from the LED while maintaining an acceptable lifetime. In one aspect, when low light intensity is desired, the LED can be driven at a low current maximum. Again, PWM can be used, but the maximum current intensity can be varied according to the desired light output. For example, to reduce the light output intensity from the maximum operating point, the current amplitude can be reduced until maximum efficiency is achieved. If it is desired to further reduce the LED brightness, the PWM activation can be reduced to reduce the apparent brightness.

  In one aspect of the light emitting unit 100, one or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D shown in FIG. A group of various parallel and / or series connected LEDs or other types of light sources). Further, one or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C and 104D can include, but are not limited to, various visible colors (including essentially white light), various color temperatures of white light, ultraviolet, or One or more LEDs can be included that are adapted to generate radiation having any of a variety of spectra (ie, wavelengths or wavelength bands), including infrared.

  In another aspect of the light emitting unit 100 shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 can be constructed and arranged to produce a wide range of variable color radiation. For example, the light emitting unit 100 may be combined with processor-controlled variable intensity light generated by two or more of the light sources to produce mixed color light (including essentially white light with various color temperatures). In particular, it can be arranged. In particular, the color (or color temperature) of the mixed color light, one or more of the intensity of each light source (eg, in response to one or more control signals output by the processor 102). It can be changed by changing. Further, the processor 102 may provide control signals to one or more of the light sources to generate various static or time-varying (dynamic) multicolor (or multiple color temperature) lighting effects, among others. It can be configured (eg, programmed).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 may include a memory 114 that stores various information. For example, the memory 114 may be used to change color emission along with one or more lighting programs for execution (eg, generating one or more control signals for the light source) by the processor 102. Various types of data useful for generating (eg, calibration information detailed below) can be stored. The memory 114 may also store one or more specific identifiers (eg, serial numbers, addresses, etc.) that can be used locally or at the system level to identify the lighting unit 100. it can. In various aspects, such an identifier may be preprogrammed, for example, by the manufacturer, and then (eg, some type of user interface installed on the light emitting unit, one or more received by the light emitting unit). Changeable or non-changeable (depending on data or control signals, or otherwise). As another option, such an identifier can be determined at the first use of the light-emitting unit in the field and again changeable or non-changeable afterwards.

  One problem that arises related to the control of multiple light sources in the light emitting unit 100 of FIG. 1 and the control of multiple light emitting units 100 in a light emitting system (eg, as described below in connection with FIG. 2) is substantially In some cases perceivable differences in light output between similar light sources. For example, if two substantially identical light sources are each driven by the same control signal, the actual intensity of light output from each light source may be perceptually different. Such differences in light output are due to a variety of factors including, for example, slight manufacturing differences between light sources, normal degradation over time of the light source that causes each spectrum of generated radiation to vary, etc. There is a possibility. For the purposes of the present invention, a light source for which the specific relationship between the control signal to it and the resulting intensity is unknown is referred to as an “uncalibrated” light source.

  The use of one or more uncalibrated light sources in the light emitting unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 can result in the generation of light having an unexpected or “uncalibrated” color or color temperature. is there. For example, a first uncalibrated red light source and a first uncalibrated blue light source, each controlled by a corresponding control signal having adjustable parameters ranging from zero to 255 (0-255), Consider one light emitting unit. For the purposes of this example, blue light is generated when the red control signal is set to zero, whereas red light is generated when the blue control signal is set to zero. However, if both control signals are changed from non-zero values, various perceptually different colors are generated (eg, in this example, at least many different shades of purple are possible). In particular, perhaps a particularly desirable color (eg, lavender color) is obtained by a red control signal having a value of 125 and a blue control signal having a value of 200.

  Next, a second uncalibrated red light source substantially similar to the first uncalibrated red light source of the first light emitting unit and substantially similar to the first uncalibrated blue light source of the first light emitting unit. Consider a second light-emitting unit that includes a second uncalibrated blue light source. As described above, even when both uncalibrated red light sources are each driven by the same control signal, the actual intensity of light output by each red light source may be perceived differently. Similarly, even though both uncalibrated blue light sources are each driven with the same control signal, the actual intensity of light output by each blue light source may be perceived differently.

  In consideration of the above, when a plurality of uncalibrated light sources are used in combination in a light emitting unit to generate mixed color light as described above, light generated under the same control conditions by different light emitting units The observed color (or color temperature) can be perceptually different. Specifically, consider again the “lavender” example above. The “first lavender” generated by the first light emitting unit with 125 red control signals and 200 blue control signals is generated by the second light emitting unit with 125 red control signals and 200 blue control signals. May be perceptually different from the “second lavender”. More generally, the first and second light emitting units generate uncalibrated colors because of their uncalibrated light sources.

  In view of the foregoing, in one aspect of the invention, the light emitting unit 100 includes calibration means to facilitate the generation of light having a calibrated (eg, predictable, reproducible) color at any time. Including. In one aspect, the calibration means is configured to adjust the light output of at least some light sources of the light emitting unit to compensate for perceptible differences between similar light sources used in different light emitting units. .

  For example, in one aspect, the processor 102 of the light emitting unit 100 controls one or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D, resulting in a control signal for the light source (s) substantially. Are configured to output radiation at a calibrated intensity corresponding in a predetermined manner. As a result of mixing radiation having different spectra and respective calibrated intensities, a calibrated color is generated. In one aspect of this embodiment, at least one calibration value for each light source is stored in memory 114, and the processor applies the respective calibration value to the control signal for the corresponding light source, resulting in calibration. Program to generate the desired intensity.

  In one aspect of this embodiment, one or more calibration values are determined once (eg, during the light emitting unit manufacturing / testing phase) and stored in memory 114 for use by processor 102. can do. In another aspect, configuring processor 102 to dynamically (eg, occasionally) derive one or more calibration values using, for example, one or more optical sensors. Can do. In various aspects, the light sensor (s) can be one or more external components coupled to the light emitting unit, or alternatively can be integrated as part of the light emitting unit itself. it can. The light sensor is an example of a signal source that is integrated with or otherwise associated with the light emitting unit 100 and that is monitored by the processor 102 in relation to the operation of the light emitting unit. Other examples of such signal sources are further discussed below in connection with the signal source 124 shown in FIG.

  One exemplary method for deriving one or more calibration values that can be implemented by the processor 102 is to apply a reference control signal to the light source and determine the intensity of the radiation that the light source produces (eg, one or May be measured (by more than one light sensor). The processor can then be programmed to make a comparison between the measured intensity and at least one reference value (eg, representing a nominally expected intensity in response to a reference control signal). Based on such a comparison, the processor can determine one or more calibration values for the light source. In particular, the processor can derive a calibration value such that when applied to a reference control signal, the light source outputs radiation having an intensity corresponding to that reference value (ie, an “expected” intensity).

  In various aspects, for a given light source, one calibration value can be derived for the full range of control signal / output intensity. Instead, for a given light source, multiple calibration values are derived (ie, a certain number of calibration values “samples” are obtained) and these calibration values are spread over different control signal / output intensity ranges. Each can be applied to approximate the nonlinear calibration function in a piecewise linear fashion.

  In another aspect, as also shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 optionally includes one or more user interfaces 118 to provide a number of user-selectable settings or functions. (E.g., roughly controlling the light output of the lighting unit 100, changing and / or selecting various pre-programmed lighting effects to be generated by the lighting unit, changing various parameters of the selected lighting effect) And / or selection, setting a unique identifier such as the address or sequence number of the light emitting unit, etc.). In various aspects, communication between the user interface 118 and the light emitting unit can be achieved by wired or cable transmission, or wireless transmission.

  In one implementation, the lighting unit processor 102 monitors the user interface 118 to control one or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C and 104D based at least in part on user operation of the interface. . For example, the processor 102 can be configured to respond to operation of the user interface by generating one or more control signals that control one or more of the light sources. As another option, the processor 102 can select one or more pre-programmed control signals stored in memory, modify the control signals generated by executing the lighting program, new Can be configured to respond by affecting the radiation generated by one or more of the light sources.

  In particular, in one implementation, the user interface 118 may be configured with one or more switches (eg, standard wall switches) that interrupt power to the processor 102. In one aspect of this implementation, the processor 102 monitors power when controlled by the user interface and based at least in part on a period of power interruption due to operation of the user interface, the light source 104A, Configure to control one or more of 104B, 104C and 104D. As described above, the processor may, for example, select one or more pre-programmed control signals stored in the memory, modify the control signals generated by executing the lighting program, It can be specifically configured to respond by influencing the radiation generated by one or more of the light sources, selecting and executing a new lighting program from memory or otherwise. .

  An LED-based lighting system can be pre-programmed with several lighting operations for use in the non-networked mode. For example, a switch on a light-emitting device causes the light-emitting device to be solid color, i.e. a program that changes the color of the illumination over the entire visible spectrum in a few minutes, or to quickly change the lighting characteristics or emit strobe light. Can be configured to generate a designed program. In general, the switch used to set the address of the lighting system can also be used to set the system to a pre-programmed non-networked lighting control mode. Each light emission control program can also include adjustable parameters that are adjusted by switch settings. All of these functions can also be set using a programming device according to the principles of the present invention. For example, by providing a programming device with a user interface, enabling selection of a program in the lighting system, setting program parameters in the lighting system, setting a new program in the lighting system, or in the lighting system Different settings can be made.

  By communicating with the lighting system via a programming device according to the principles of the present invention, a program can be selected to set adjustable parameters. The light emitting device can then execute the program without having to set a switch. Another problem with setting a switch for such program selection is that the switch does not provide an intuitive user interface. A user may have to consult a table in the manual to find the unique switch settings for a particular program, whereas programming devices according to the principles of the present invention may include a user interface screen. it can. The user interface can display programs, program parameters, or other information about the lighting device. The programmer can read information from the lighting device and provide this information on the user interface screen. In some aspects, the non-networked device may detect the presence of a signal, such as a synchronization signal, or power “on” in the circuit and begin playing the effect. That is, a plurality of light emitting units that are not formally networked can be synchronized with such external factors by synchronizing the start of the light emission program.

  FIG. 1 also illustrates that the light emitting unit 100 can be configured to receive one or more signals from one or more other signal sources 124. In one aspect, the processor 102 of the lighting unit may send the signal (s) 122 alone or other control signals (eg, signals generated by executing a lighting program, output from a user interface, etc. ) Can be used to control one or more of the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C and 104D in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the user interface.

  As an example, the light emitting unit 100 can also include other signal generators (hereinafter collectively referred to as sensors) that act as sensors and / or transducers and / or signal sources 124. The sensor can be associated with the processor 102 via a wired or wireless transmission system. Similar to the user interface and network control system, the sensor (s) provides a signal to the processor that selects a new LED control signal from the memory 114, modifies the LED control signal, or controls the signal. Or responding by changing the output of the LED (s).

  Examples of signal (s) 122 that can be received and processed by processor 102 include, but are not limited to, one or more audio signals, video signals, power signals, and various types of data signals. , A signal from a handheld remote control device, a signal representing information obtained from a network (eg, the Internet), a signal representing a detectable / detected state, a signal from a light emitting unit, a signal composed of modulated light, and the like. In various implementations, the signal source (s) 124 can be located remotely from the light emitting unit 100 or included as a component of the light emitting unit. For example, in one aspect, a signal from one light emitting unit 100 can be sent to another light emitting unit 100 via a network.

  Examples of signal sources that can be used in or in connection with the light emitting unit 100 of FIG. 1 include various sensors or ones that generate one or more signals in response to a stimulus. There are any of the converters. Examples of such sensors include, but are not limited to, heat sensitive (eg, temperature, infrared) sensors, humidity sensors, motion sensors, photo sensors / light sensors (eg, one or more specific spectra) There are various types of environmental condition sensors, such as sensitive sensors), sound or vibration sensors, or other pressure / force transducers (eg, microphones, piezoelectric devices), etc.

  Further examples of signal source 124 include electrical signals or characteristics (eg, voltage, current, power, resistance, capacitance, inductance, etc.), or chemical / biological characteristics (eg, acidity, one or two There are various metering / detection devices that monitor these specific chemicals or organisms, bacteria, etc., and provide one or more signals 122 based on signal or property measurements. Still other examples of signal source 124 include various types of scanners, image recognition systems, voice or other acoustic recognition systems, artificial intelligence and robotic systems, and the like.

  The signal source 124 can also be a light emitting unit 100, a processor 102, or any of a number of available signal generators, such as a media player, MP3 player, computer, DVD player, CD player, television signal source, camera. It can also be a signal source, microphone, speaker, telephone, cellular phone, instant messenger device, SMS device, wireless device, personal organizer device, and many others.

  In one aspect, the light emitting unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 also includes one or more optical facilities 130 that optically process the radiation generated by the light sources 104A, 104B, 104C, and 104D. Can be included. For example, one or more optical devices may be configured to change one or both of the spatial distribution and propagation direction of the generated radiation. In particular, one or more optical devices can be configured to change the diffusion angle of the generated radiation. In one aspect of this embodiment, the one or more optical devices 130 are responsive to one or both of the spatial distribution and direction of propagation (eg, in response to certain electrical and / or mechanical stimuli). And can be specifically configured to variably change. Examples of optical devices that can be included in the light emitting unit 100 include, but are not limited to, reflective materials, refractive materials, translucent materials, filters, lenses, mirrors, and optical fibers. Optical device 130 can also include phosphorescent materials, luminescent materials, or other materials that can respond to or interact with the generated radiation.

  As also shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 may include one or more communication ports 120 that allow the light emitting unit 100 to be easily coupled to any of a wide variety of other devices. it can. For example, one or more communication ports 120 facilitate coupling multiple lighting units together as a network lighting system, in which at least some lighting units are addressed. It is possible (eg, has a unique identifier or address) and responds to specific data that moves across the network. The light emitting unit 100 can also include a communication port 120 adapted to communicate with a programming device. The communication port can be adapted to receive data by wired or wireless transmission. In one aspect of the present invention, the information received via the communication port 120 can be related to the address information, and the light emitting unit 100 receives the address information in the memory 114 and then stores it. Can be adapted. When the light emitting unit 100 receives data from the network data, the light emitting unit 100 can be adapted to use the stored address as its used address. For example, the light emitting unit 100 can be connected to a network through which network data is transmitted. The light emitting unit 100 can monitor data transmitted over the network and respond to “hear” data if it corresponds to an address stored in the memory 114 of the light emitting system 100. The memory 114 can be any type of memory, including but not limited to non-volatile memory. There are many systems and methods for those skilled in the art to communicate to addressable light fixtures over a network (eg, US Pat. No. 6,016,038), and the present invention relates to a particular system or method. It will be understood that this is not a limitation.

In one aspect, the lighting system 100 selects a given lighting program, modifies the parameters of the lighting program, or otherwise selects or modifies, or based on data received from a programming device. It can be adapted to generate several lighting control signals.
In particular, in a networked lighting system environment, as data is communicated over the network, as will be described in more detail below (eg, in connection with FIG. 2), the processor of each lighting unit coupled to the network. 102 can be configured to respond to specific data (eg, lighting control commands) associated with it (eg, as required by the respective identifiers of networked lighting units). When a given processor identifies specific data intended for it, it reads that data and, for example, lighting generated by that light source according to the received data (eg, by generating an appropriate control signal for the light source) Conditions can be changed. In one aspect, the memory 114 of each light emitting unit coupled to the network can be loaded with, for example, a table of light emission control signals corresponding to data received by the processor 102. When the processor 102 receives data from the network, the processor can examine the table and select a control signal corresponding to the received data and control the light source of the light emitting unit accordingly.

  In one aspect of this embodiment, the processor 102 of a given lighting unit is independent of whether it is coupled to a network (see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,211,626). Configure to interpret lighting commands / data received in the DMX protocol, the lighting command protocol traditionally used for some programmable lighting applications in the lighting industry (as described) Can do. However, the light-emitting units suitable for the purposes of the present invention are not limited in this sense, and the light-emitting units according to the various aspects are responsive to other types of communication protocols in their respective light sources. It should be appreciated that can be configured to control.

  In one aspect, the light emitting unit 100 of FIG. 1 can include and / or be coupled to one or more power supplies 108. In various aspects, examples of the power source (s) 108 include, but are not limited to, an AC power source, a DC power source, a battery, a solar power source, a thermoelectric or mechanical power source, and the like. Further, in one aspect, the power source (s) 108 may include one or more power converters that convert power received from an external power source into a form suitable for operation of the light emitting unit 100. Or can be related to it.

    Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 100 can be implemented in any of several different structural configurations according to various aspects of the present invention. For example, a given light-emitting unit may include a variety of light source (s) mounting arrangements, housing / housing arrangements and shapes that partially or completely enclose the light sources, and / or electrical and mechanical connection configurations. Of any. In particular, the light emitting unit is a replacement or “retrofit” that electrically and mechanically engages within a conventional socket or fixture (eg, Edison type screw socket, halogen fixture, fluorescent fixture, etc.). Can be configured.

  Furthermore, the one or more optical elements described above can be partially or fully integrated into a housing / housing device for the light emitting unit. Further, a given light-emitting unit may optionally include various other components (eg, control circuitry such as a processor and / or memory, one or more than one) related to the operation of the light source (s). Sensor / converter / signal source, user interface, display, power supply, power converter, etc.) (eg, include, combine and / or fill together).

  FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a networked lighting system 200 according to one aspect of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a number of light emitting units 100, similar to those described above with respect to FIG. 1, are coupled together to form a networked light emitting system. However, it should be recognized that the specific configuration and arrangement of the light emitting units shown in FIG. 2 is for illustrative purposes only and the present invention is not limited to the specific system topology shown in FIG.

  Accordingly, the light emitting unit 100 is associated with the network such that the light emitting unit 100 is responsive to network data. For example, the processor 102 can be an addressable processor associated with a network. Network data can be communicated over a wired or wireless network, and an addressable processor can “listen” to a data stream of commands related to itself. When the processor “hears” the data addressed to itself, the processor can read the data and change the lighting conditions according to the received data. For example, the memory 114 in the light emitting unit 100 can be loaded with a table of light emission control signals corresponding to data received by the processor 102. When the processor 102 receives data from a network, user interface, or other source, the processor can select a control signal corresponding to the data and control the LED (s) accordingly. In addition, the received data can start a light emission program to be executed by the processor 102, modify the light emission program or control data, or otherwise control the light output of the light emitting unit 100.

  Further, although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, the networked lighting system 200 can be configured flexibly to provide one or more user interfaces, as well as one or more sensors / transducers and the like. It should be appreciated that a signal source can be included. For example, one or more signal sources, such as one or more user interfaces and / or sensors / converters (as described above in connection with FIG. 1), may emit light from the networked lighting system 200. It can be associated with any one or more of the units. As another option (or in addition), one or more user interfaces and / or one or more signal sources are implemented as “stand-alone” components within networked lighting system 200. can do. Whether it is a stand-alone component or in particular associated with one or more lighting units 100, these devices can be "shared" by the lighting units of the networked lighting system. In other words, one or more user interfaces and / or one or more sensors / transducers constitute a “shared resource” within the networked lighting system, which is the lighting unit of the system Can be used in connection with controlling any one or more of.

  As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the lighting system 200 can include one or more lighting unit controllers (hereinafter “LUC”), such as LUCs 208A, 208B, 208C, and 208D, Each LUC is responsible for communicating with and generally controlling one or more light emitting units 100 coupled thereto. Although FIG. 2 shows three light emitting units 100 coupled in series to a given LUC, the present invention is not limited in this sense, and different numbers of light emitting units are provided for a given number of light emitting units. It should be appreciated that the LUC can be coupled using a wide variety of communication media and protocols in a wide variety of configurations.

  In the system of FIG. 2, each LUC is coupled to a central controller 202, which is configured to communicate with one or more LUCs. Although FIG. 2 shows three LUCs coupled to the central controller by a switching or coupling device, it should be appreciated that different numbers of LCUs can be coupled to the central controller 202 according to various aspects. . Further, according to various aspects of the present invention, the LUC and the central controller can be coupled together in various configurations to form a networked lighting system 20 using a wide variety of communication media and protocols. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the interconnection of the LUC and the central controller, and the interconnection of the lighting units to the respective LUC can be accomplished in different ways (eg, using different configurations, communication media, and protocols). .

  For example, according to one aspect of the present invention, the central controller 202 shown in FIG. 2 can be configured to implement Ethernet-based communication with the LUC. Can be configured to realize DMX-based communication with the light emitting unit 100. In particular, in one aspect of this embodiment, each LUC is configured as an addressable Ethernet-based controller, thereby using a Ethernet-based protocol to identify a specific unique address (or It can be identified to the central controller 202 via a unique address group. According to this method, the central controller 202 can be configured to support Ethernet communications across a network of combined LUCs, each LUC responding to communications intended for it. can do. Each LUC then communicates lighting control information to one or more lighting units coupled to it, for example via the DMX protocol, based on Ethernet communication with the central controller 202. be able to.

  More specifically, according to one aspect, the LUCs 208A, 208B, 208C, and 208D shown in FIG. Can be configured “intelligent” in that the central controller 202 can be configured to communicate to the LUC. For example, a lighting system operator would like to generate a color change effect so that a given rainbow color ("rainbow chase") that propagates from light emitting unit to light emitting unit appears given a specific arrangement between the light emitting units. I have something to think about. In this example, the operator provides a simple command to the central controller 202 to accomplish this, and the central controller issues an Ethernet-based protocol high-level command. Can be used to communicate to one or more LUCs to generate a “rainbow chase”. This command can include, for example, timing, intensity, hue, saturation, or other relevant information. When a given LUC receives such a command, the LUC interprets the command to generate an appropriate lighting control signal, and then this lighting control signal is controlled by one or more. Two or more light emitting units can be communicated using the DMX protocol via any of a variety of signaling schemes (eg, PWM).

Again, the above example using multiple different communication implementations (eg, Ethernet / DMX) in a lighting system according to one aspect of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention is It should be recognized that this particular example is not limited.
One aspect of the methods and systems described herein is to turn on and off color LEDs (eg, red, green, blue LEDs, etc., or in the case of white light products, different color temperatures of white or amber LEDs). This is a method for achieving a color change effect or a color temperature change effect. The remainder of this chapter discusses the control of red, green and blue LEDs, but the same approach can be used to control different LEDs such as white and amber LEDs, white light modes. In some aspects, the processor 102 may have three output pins, for example, one for red LEDs, one for green LEDs, and one for blue LEDs (of course, other This includes a number of output pins and other types of LEDs). In some aspects, multiple LEDs of the same color are connected to one output channel, and the output channel or pin controls, for example, a group of red, green, or blue LEDs simultaneously.

  In some aspects, an interrupt service routine (ISR) may be executed at a certain frequency on the processor 102. The ISR can convert a set of desired intensity values for each LED into a stream of digital “on” and “off” pulses on the corresponding output pins of each channel. In some aspects, the ISR processes the output channels sequentially. That is, the ISR can be implemented as a software or firmware routine executed on the processor 102 that updates the “on” or “off” state of each output pin. In some aspects, the first color is updated first, and the routine continues to the point where the second color is updated. The routine proceeds to the third color, and so on, starting with the first color update again, and so on. In some aspects, the interrupt service routine converts a desired set of LED intensity values into a stream of on and off commands for each LED channel.

  In some aspects, the networked lighting unit 100 receives instructions via the DMX protocol, a protocol that has been widely used in theater lighting systems for many years. Light control signals in DMX protocol format can be sent over the network from a central controller to individual light units 100, each light unit having a processor 102 that controls a group of red, green and blue LEDs. In some cases, an intermediate power / data supply (PDS) converts commands originally sent in another protocol, such as Ethernet, into a DMX protocol format for delivery to individual lighting units 100 To do. The DMX protocol instructions include a red channel, a blue channel, and a green channel. In some aspects, each channel has an 8-bit resolution, and it is possible to generate 256 values for each channel. For networked light emitting units 100, the DMX collection routine is executed on the processor of the individual light emitting units. This collection routine repeats the input DMX protocol instructions until a red instruction, a blue instruction, and a green instruction are received. The collection routine then converts each 8-bit DMX channel value to a higher resolution 14 (or 16) bit desired intensity value and the 8-bit DMX channel value in the internally stored 14-bit intensity value table. Convert by examining. With 14 (or 16) bit intensity values, these networked lighting units 100 have 64 (or 128) times the dynamic resolution of 8-bit products and finer control over the color values produced. Can be performed.

  For non-networked lighting units 100, pre-programmed instructions for a lighting show can be stored in a memory within each individual lighting unit 100. A user interface, such as a button or power-off device, allows the user to select from different shows or software / firmware programs that generate data used by the ISR, similar to those described above. The values for the red, green and blue individual channels for each programmed show are stored in a table for access by the interrupt service routine.

  In some other embodiments using a serial data protocol, the control instructions for the light emitting unit 100 are arranged in a data stream consisting of a series of bytes, each byte representing a control instruction for the channel of the LED. In some aspects, the input data stream for the first unmodified byte (as described further below) is three different, one for the red channel, one for the green channel, and one for the blue channel. Timed into a 12-bit shift register. In some aspects, the oscillator is clocked out by the first shift register, then the second shift register, then the third register, and the signal is 120 degrees out of phase, red, green, and Distribute to each of the three transistor drivers that drive blue. Optionally, driving the LEDs out of phase flattens the load on the system.

  For networked products that use the serial addressing protocol, control instructions are sent to a series of individual light emitting units in a series of bytes, each of which is programmed to respond to an incoming instruction stream. An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 3600 may be provided. The control data stream from the central controller includes a series of control commands for the individual light emitting units 100, and the positions of the control commands in the series correspond to the positions of the individual light emitting units along the row of light emitting units. Each individual light emitting unit 100 receives a stream of data and responds to a byte of data intended for it as follows. Each light emitting unit 100 receives a full stream of data bytes in sequence and about a bit indicating whether the byte has been modified, such as by determining whether a “1” is present at a predetermined position in the data byte. Start checking data bytes. If the data byte has been modified, the ASIC 3600 proceeds to check the next byte, and so on until an unmodified byte is found. The light emitting unit 100 then stores the value corresponding to the control instruction indicated by the uncorrected data byte in a table holding the input value for the interrupt service routine. When the lighting unit 100 finds and uses the first three unmodified data bytes in the data stream, the lighting unit 100 changes the zero in place to “1” or vice versa, or vice versa. Modify those bytes by deleting the entire data byte from the stream. The entire modified data stream is then sent to the next light emitting unit 100 in the queue, which eventually results in the next data byte in the stream being the first unmodified byte at that time. Will respond. As a result, the sequence of light emitting units 100 responds to control commands within the sequence according to the order of the sequence of bytes in the data stream.

  FIG. 3 illustrates a programming device 300 that is communicatively associated with the lighting system 100. The programming device 300 may include a processor 302, a user interface 304 associated with the processor 302, a communication port 306 associated with the processor 302, and a memory 308 associated with the processor 302. The communication port 306 can be arranged to communicate a data signal to the lighting system 100 and the lighting system 100 can be adapted to receive the data signal. For example, the communication port 306 can be arranged to transmit data via wired transmission, and the communication port 120 of the light emitting system 100 can be arranged to receive the wired transmission. Similarly, the communication port can be arranged to communicate via wireless transmission.

  The programming device processor 302 can be associated with the user interface 302 to use the user interface 304 to generate an address within the processor 302. This user interface 304 can be used to communicate a signal to the processor, which can generate an address or select an address from the memory 308. In one aspect, the user interface can be used to generate or select a starting address, and then the programming device can be arranged to automatically generate the next address. For example, the user can select a new address by making a selection on the user interface and then communicate that address to the lighting system 100. Following the transmission of the address, a new address can be selected or generated and transmitted to the next lighting system 100. Of course, the actual timing of selection and / or generation of a new address is not critical and may actually be generated before sending the previous address or at any other suitable time.

  This address generation method is useful when the user wants to address more than one lighting system 100. For example, a user may wish to have a row of 100 lighting systems 100 and include 1000 address numbers in the first of such lighting systems. The user can select address 1000 on the programming device to have the programming device communicate the address to the lighting system. The programming device can then automatically generate the next address in the desired number sequence (eg, 1001). This newly generated address (eg, 1001) can then be communicated to the next lighting system in the column. This eliminates the repeated selection of new addresses and automates one or more steps for the user. The addresses can be selected / generated in any desired pattern (eg, incrementing 2, 3, etc.).

  The programming device can be arranged to store the selected / generated address in its memory for later recall and transmission to the lighting system. For example, a user has a certain number of lighting systems to be programmed, and the user knows in advance the lighting system that he is trying to program, so the memory of the programming device can be used with a set of addresses. I want to program. The user may have a planned placement, and it may be desirable to select an address, store it in memory, and then select a new address to be placed in memory. A system that selects and stores such addresses may place a long column of addresses in memory. The user can then begin transmitting address information to the lighting system in the order in which he loads the addresses.

  Program device 300 may include a user interface 304 that may be associated with processor 302. User interface 304 may be an interface, button, switch, dial, slide switch, sign converter, analog / digital converter, digital / analog converter, digital signal generator, or other user interface. User interface 304 may accept address information, program information, lighting show information, or other information or signals used to control the certification device. When the device receives the user interface information, it can communicate with the light emitting device. User interface information can also be stored in the memory and transmitted from the memory to the lighting device. The user interface 304 can also include a screen for displaying information. The screen can be a screen, LCD, plasma screen, back illuminated display, edge illuminated display, monochrome screen, color screen, screen, or any other type of display.

  Many of the aspects shown herein relate to setting addresses within the lighting system 100. However, a method or system in accordance with the principles of the present invention involves selecting a mode, setting, program, or other setting within the lighting system 100. One aspect also relates to modifying modes, settings, programs, or other settings within the lighting system 100. In one aspect, a programming device can be used to select a programmed mode within the lighting system 100. For example, the user can select a mode using a programming device and then communicate the selection to the lighting system 100, which can then select the corresponding mode. The programming device 300 can be preset to a mode corresponding to the mode in the lighting system 100. For example, the lighting system 100 can have four pre-programmed modes: color wash, static red, static green, static blue, and irregular color generation.

  The programming device 300 has the same four mode selections available so that a user can make a selection on the programming device 300 and then communicate that selection to the lighting system 100. Upon receipt of the selection, the lighting system 100 can select the corresponding mode from the memory for execution by the processor 102. In one aspect, the programming device has a mode indicator stored in its memory so that the mode indicator can indicate a particular mode or lighting program or the like. For example, the programming device has a mode indicator that is stored in the memory and indicates a selection, and the transmission of such a mode indicator causes the mode in the lighting system corresponding to the indicator to be initiated or set. Become. One aspect of the present invention may include reading available selections from the lighting system memory 114 using the programming device 300 and then presenting the available selections to the user. The user can then select the desired mode and communicate the selection back to the lighting system 100. In one aspect, the lighting system can receive this selection and begin executing the corresponding mode.

  In one aspect, programming device 300 can be used to download lighting modes, programs, settings, or the like to lighting system 100. The light emitting system 100 can store the light emitting mode in the memory 114. The lighting system 100 can be arranged to execute a mode upon download, or the mode can be selected later. For example, the programming device 300 can store one or more lighting programs in its memory 308. The user can select one or more of the lighting programs on the programming device and then cause the programming device 300 to download the selected program (s) to the lighting system 100. The lighting system 100 can then store the lighting program (s) in its memory 114. The lighting system 100 and / or the downloaded program (s) can be arranged such that the processor 102 of the lighting system automatically executes one of the downloaded programs.

  As used herein, the term “wired” transmission and / or communication is understood to encompass any wire, cable, light, or any other type of communication to which a device is physically connected. Should. As used herein, the term “wireless” transmission and / or communication refers to acoustic, RF, microwave, IR, and any other communication and / or transmission system where the device is not physically connected. Should be understood as encompassing.

  As a result of identifying various geometrical configurations for the light emitting unit 100 and some optional methods for identifying the light emitting unit 100, an operator can supply lighting control signals to these configurations by: It will be appreciated that it is necessary that an appropriate control signal can be associated with an appropriate light emitting unit 100. The configuration of the networked light emitting unit 100 can be arbitrarily arranged, which requires the operator to develop a table or similar function relating a specific light emitter to a specific geometric position in the environment. There is. For large facilities that require a large number of light emitting units 100, particularly assuming that the installer of the light emitting unit may not be the same operator who uses and maintains the light emitting system for a period of time. The need to identify and track the relationship between a unit's physical location and its network address can be very difficult. Therefore, in some situations, it is advantageous to provide an addressing scheme that facilitates the relationship between the physical location of the light emitting unit 100 and its virtual location to supply control signals thereto. There is.

  Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for providing address information to a light emitting unit 100. The method is an act of A) transmitting data to an independently addressable controller coupled to at least one LED light emitting unit 100 and at least one other controllable device, the data being transmitted by the controller First control information for a first control signal output to the at least one LED light emitting unit 100 and a second control signal for a second control signal output by the controller to the at least one other controllable device. The act including at least one of two control information, and B) the act of controlling at least one of the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device based on the data. .

  Another aspect of the present invention is: A) act of receiving data of a plurality of independently addressable controllers, wherein at least one of the plurality of independently addressable controllers comprises at least one LED light source and at least Said act coupled to one other controllable device, B) a first for a first control signal output by said at least one independently addressable controller to said at least one LED light source Data corresponding to at least one of control information and second control information for a second control signal that the at least one independently addressable controller outputs to the at least one other controllable device The act of selecting at least a part of C, and C) the at least one LED light source; Serial at least one of the at least one other controllable device, comprising the act of controlling on the basis of the selected portion of data, a method to target.

  Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a lighting system, the lighting system comprising: a plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled together to form a network, at least one of which is independently addressable A plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device; and a plurality of independently addressable coupled to the network At least one processor programmed to transmit data to a possible controller, wherein the data is output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one LED light source. First control information for a signal, and Said at least one corresponding to at least one of second control information for a second control signal output by at least one independently addressable controller to said at least one other controllable device; Includes a processor.

  Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an apparatus used in a lighting system, the lighting system including a plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled together to form a network, the plurality of independently At least one independently addressable controller of the addressable controller is coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device. The apparatus includes the at least one processor having an output for coupling at least one processor to a network, the at least one processor transmitting data to a plurality of the independently addressable controllers. And wherein the data includes first control information for a first control signal that the at least one independently addressable controller outputs to the at least one LED light source, and the at least one One independently addressable controller corresponds to at least one of second control information for a second control signal output to the at least one other controllable device.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system that includes at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device. The apparatus includes the at least one controller having at least first and second output ports for coupling at least one controller to at least the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device, respectively. The at least one controller also includes first information for a first control signal that the first output port outputs to the at least one LED light source, and the second output port. Having at least one data port for receiving data including at least one of second control information for a second control signal to be output to the at least one other controllable device, At least one controller includes the at least one LED light source and the least It is built at least one of even one other controllable device to control on the basis of the data.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method in a lighting system, the lighting system comprising at least first and second independently addressable devices coupled to form a series connection, wherein the independent At least one of the addressable devices includes at least one light source. The method comprises A) an act of transmitting data to at least first and second independently addressable devices, wherein the data is at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices. Including control information for one side, the data including at least the first and second independently addressable actions being arranged based on relative positions in a serial connection of possible devices.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method in a lighting system, wherein the lighting system includes at least first and second independently addressable devices, wherein at least one of the independently addressable devices. The device includes at least one light source.
The method includes: A) act of receiving at least first data for the first and second independently addressable devices at the first independently addressable device; and B) the first independently addressable device. Removing at least a first data portion from the data to form second data, wherein the first data portion is a first control for the first independently addressable device. The act corresponding to information, and C) the act of transmitting the second data from the first independently addressable device. Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a lighting system, said lighting system being at least first and second independently addressable devices that combine to form a series connection, at least one of which At least one processor coupled to the independently addressable device and the first and second independently addressable devices, wherein at least one light source includes at least one light source, Programmed to transmit to first and second independently addressable devices, the data comprising control information for at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices; Said data includes at least a phase in a series connection of at least first and second independently addressable devices. It is arranged based on the position, and a said at least one processor.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system, the lighting system including at least first and second independently addressable devices coupled to form a series connection. , At least one of the independently addressed devices includes at least one light source. The apparatus includes at least one processor having an output that couples the at least one processor to the first and second independently addressable devices, the at least one processor comprising the first and second Programmed to transmit data to independently addressable devices, the data including control information for at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices, The data is arranged based on at least a relative position in the series connection of the first and second independently addressable devices.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system, wherein the lighting system includes at least first and second independently controllable devices, wherein at least one of the independently controllable devices. The device includes at least one light source. The apparatus includes at least one output port that couples the at least one controller to at least the first independently controllable device and a first for at least the first and second independently controllable devices. Including at least one controller having at least one data port for receiving one data, wherein the at least one controller removes at least a first data portion from the first data to form second data And configured to transmit the second data via the at least one data port, wherein the first data portion is a first for at least the first independently controllable device. Corresponds to the control information.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to a lighting system. The lighting system receives a data stream via a first data port, generates an illumination condition based on a first portion of the data stream, and at least a first of the data stream via a second data port. An LED lighting system adapted to transmit two parts; adapted to hold the LED lighting system and adapted to electrically associate the first and second data ports with a data connection The data connection includes an electrical conductor comprising at least one discontinuous section; the first data port is associated with a data connection on a first side of the discontinuous section; the second data A port is associated with the second side of the discontinuous section, and the first and second sides are electrically isolated.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is a data recognition circuit, the data recognition circuit adapted to read at least a first portion of a data stream received via a first data port; a first portion of the data An illumination control circuit adapted to generate at least one illumination control signal in response to the output; and an output circuit adapted to transmit at least a second portion of the data stream via the second data port including.

  Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method of controlling a lighting system. The method includes providing a plurality of lighting systems; communicating a data stream to a first lighting system of the plurality of lighting systems; receiving the data stream to a first lighting system; Reading a first portion of the data stream; causing a first publishing system to generate a lighting effect in response to the first portion of the data stream; and causing the first lighting system to at least a first of the data stream. Transferring the second portion to a second light emitting system of the plurality of light emitting systems.

  Referring to FIG. 4, in each case, various configurations including the optical communication facility 120 can be provided to the light emitting unit 100. Configurations include a linear configuration 404 (which may be a curve in some implementations), a circular configuration 402, an elliptical configuration 414, a three-dimensional configuration 418 such as a pyramid, or a collection of various configurations 402, 404. The light emitting unit 100 also includes various color LEDs, including red, green, and blue LEDs, as various mixtures to produce a color mixture and one or more other LEDs. Can be used to create changing colors and white light color temperatures. For example, red, green and blue can be mixed with amber, white, UV, orange, IR or other LED colors. Amber and white LEDs can be mixed to provide a changing color and white color temperature. Any combination of LED colors can produce a full range of colors whether the LED is red, green, blue, amber, white, orange, UV, or other colors. The various embodiments described throughout this specification encompass all possible combinations of LEDs in the light emitting unit 100 so that light of varying color, intensity, saturation, and color temperature is required. And can be generated under the control of the processor 102. Combinations of LEDs with other mechanisms such as phosphorus are also encompassed herein.

  Proposed mixed light of red, green and blue for light, but due to their ability to produce a wide additive gamut, the overall color quality of such systems or Color rendering capabilities are not ideal for all applications. This is mainly due to the narrow bandwidth of current red, green and blue light emitting devices. However, a relatively broadband source can produce good color rendering, for example, when measured with standard CRI indices. In some cases, this may require LED spectral power that is not currently available. However, it has been found that a broadband light source will be available, and such a broadband source is included as a light source for the light emitting unit 100 described herein.

  In addition, the addition of white LEDs (usually adding a phosphorus mechanism to blue or ultraviolet LEDs) provides a “relatively good” white, but at a controllable or selectable color temperature from such sources. Still limited. The addition of white to the red, green and blue mixture cannot increase the color gamut of available colors, but it can add a wider band source to the mixed light. Adding a fading source to this mixed light can further improve the color by “filling in” the color gamut.

  Combining the light sources together as the light emitting unit 100 can faithfully reproduce the desired light spectrum, helping to fill the visible spectrum. These include broadband daylight equivalents or relatively discrete waveforms corresponding to other light sources or desirable light characteristics. Desirable properties include the ability to remove portions of the spectrum because it includes an environment where specific wavelengths are absorbed or attenuated. For example, water absorbs and attenuates most of the non-blue and non-green light, so that for underwater applications, a light emitter that combines a blue and green source for the light emitting unit 100 provides benefits.

The amber and white light sources can provide a color temperature selectable white light source, where the color temperature of the light generated is along the black body curve, the chromaticity coordinates of the two light sources. ) Can be selected according to the line segment connecting. Color temperature selection is useful for setting a specific color temperature value for a light source.
Orange is another color that can provide controllable color temperature light from the light emitting unit 100 using its spectral characteristics in combination with a white LED-based light source.

  Combining white light and other colors of light as the light source for the light emitting unit 100 can be used in many commercial and home applications, such as in pools, spas, automobiles, architectural interiors (commercial and residential), and indirect lighting applications. , E.g., alcove lighting, point of purchase lighting, promotion, toys, beauty, signaling, aviation, marine, medical, underwater, space, military, consumer, under cabinet lighting, office furniture, landscape, Can provide multi-purpose illuminators for kitchens, home theaters, bathrooms, washrooms, dining rooms, decks, garages, home offices, home products, living rooms, tombstone lighting, museums, photography, art applications, and many others it can.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the light emitting unit 100 can be arranged in many different forms. Accordingly, one or more light sources 104A-104D can be equipped with the processor 102 in the housing. The housing can take various shapes, such as those similar to a point light source 402, such as circular or elliptical. Such a point light source 402 can be installed in a conventional light emitting fixture such as a lamp or a cylindrical fixture. The light emitting unit 100 places the point light sources 402 in a straight line, or places the light sources 104A-104D in a substantially straight line on a board located in a substantially linear housing, such as a cylindrical housing. Can be configured in a substantially linear arrangement. The linear light-emitting unit 404 is arranged end-to-end with other linear elements 404 or other shaped elements to produce a relatively long linear light-emitting system consisting of a plurality of light-emitting units 100 of various shapes. be able to. The housing can be bent to form a curved light emitting unit. Similarly, the branch light-emitting unit 410 can be created by creating a junction using the branch “T” or “Y”. A bent light emitting unit may include one or more “V” elements. A combination of various configurations of point light source 402, linear 404, curvilinear, branched 410 and bent light emitting unit 100 can be used to form a light emitting system of any shape, such as letters, numbers, symbols, logos, objects, structures It is possible to create a light emitting system that is shaped to resemble an object or the like. One embodiment of a light emitting unit 100 suitable for connecting to other light emitting units 100 of different configurations is described below.

  In one aspect, the present invention relates to a light emitting unit 100 configured as a panel or tile, controlled, networked or not networked. A light emitting unit comprising one or more LEDs can be mounted or embedded in such a light emitting unit 100 to provide color patterns and color changing capabilities at various scales. In one embodiment, such a light emitting unit 100 can be mounted on or integrated with a wall, ceiling, door, window or floor.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the light emitting unit 100 is arranged in a tile 500 that includes a plurality of triangular regions 502, and the colors of each of these regions can be selected and controlled for various comfort effects. is there. Light and color patterns can be generated, manipulated, faded and moved. The tiles 500 can be networked for cooperative effects or operated in a single mode. In various aspects, details of the illumination surface include geometric forms that maximize the light output, equalize and diffuse the light output, and shape the light output. The viewing surface incorporates texture and 2D and 3D forms that direct and direct light toward the viewer.

  The aspect of FIG. 5 is a tile 500 designed for a panel wall facility that includes a 12 element panel with four controllable areas for each element 504. This is just one of many possible combinations of tiles 500. All shaped tiles 500 can be combined to cover any surface, or attach other building materials together to cover a structure or part of a structure, similar to traditional floor, wall or ceiling tiles . The tiles 500, together attached, form furniture and fixtures, and in each case have lighting system functionality as described throughout this disclosure and in the patents and patent applications incorporated herein by reference. Can be made.

  Referring to FIG. 6, there are various attachment strategies for attaching to the surface of a tile 500 or panel, or interconnecting elements. In one aspect, a wall mount 602 is used. For wall mounting, mounting clips 604 are used to provide the desired spacing, secure the unit to the wall, and provide spacing from the wall. Wall mounting may be by brackets or Z-clips or two-part cleats such as French-cleats. The tile 500 can also be hung from the hook as illustrated with a wire that traverses the back. These cleat designs incorporate structures such as channels or indented surfaces to allow wires to communicate data and to place power supplies between adjacent units or termination and wall spaces. In addition, it is possible to improve the cable wiring for the purpose of passing through the junction box. FIG. 6 and the subsequent figures show the method of using and mounting the tile 500 in more detail.

  Also shown in FIG. 6 is ceiling mount 608. As shown in the wall mounted embodiment, the device can be secured to the ceiling by brackets and other fixtures, but the ceiling is often covered with a hanging grid structure, Not only various ceiling tiles but also light emitters and HVAC-related elements can be installed. The ceiling tile element 610 can be sized to fit into a standard suspended ceiling grid. For example, a 2 ft × 2 ft element 610 can be fitted directly into a standard ceiling grid 612. Additional wiring options for ceiling mounting include jumper cables between units that provide installation flexibility.

  The housing design can be of a high floor used in computer centers, or of sufficient structural strength to form floor elements, similar to structural tiles used as direct construction floor material. Alternatively, tile 500 can be mounted under a transparent or translucent floor element to provide illumination through such element. For example, many combinations of these panel elements can be used as dance floors or for studio and stage sets for various dramatic and pleasant effects.

  For the ceiling mounting mode, all materials and structures are preferably plenum grade, since the space above the suspended ceiling is usually also used for air transport. The materials selected, including panel and wiring insulation, must meet all required fire ratings and must not generate volatile gases. Further, for high power LED devices or when using large LED sets, a heat dissipation system can be incorporated directly into the panel structure. There are many embodiments for the heat dissipation function. These can take the form of conventional cast or extruded metal heat sinks, as well as fans and appropriate ventilation and air flow channels. Other functions include a liquid cooling system that allows convection to transfer heat, resulting in a flow of heat away from the source. Additional means of heat dissipation can include thermoelectric cooling devices, such as those that use the Peltier effect, which use electricity to generate the cold side and dissipate heat to the “hot” side.

FIG. 7 shows a rail mounting facility 700 for tile 500. This aspect is a mounting system that includes rails that connect multiple tiles 500 or panel elements together. This same rail 700 can be used as the hanging or mounting system shown in FIG.
Referring to FIG. 8, according to another aspect of the present invention, the wiring of the device can also be done via a direct connector 802 between tiles 500, which in principle is similar to a building block. That is, modular tiles 500 or panel elements can be directly connected to each other by both mechanical and electrical fixtures.

Referring to FIG. 9, the tile 500 may have a magnet function 900 so that the tiles 500 are held together by the attractive force of the magnet 900. The panel can be sufficiently lightweight and incorporate ferrous materials or magnets whose magnetic fields are properly aligned to allow coupling between adjacent elements.
Referring to FIG. 10, an installation for connecting and mounting tiles 500 or panels by a dual purpose connection is disclosed. In FIG. 10, diamond and triangle elements 1002 are brackets that interconnect the tiles. The enlarged portion shows the electrical and data connections between the tiles 500.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a portion of a general purpose LUC 208 that includes an LUC processor 1102 and a power detection module 1114. As shown in FIG. 11, the power sensing module 1114 may be coupled to a power input connection 1112, which provides power to one or more light emitting units coupled to the LUC via a power output connection 1110. Can be supplied. The power detection module 1114 may also provide one or more output signals 1116 to the processor 1102 that provides information related to power detection to the central controller 202 via connection 1108. introduce.

  In one aspect of the LUC shown in FIG. 11, the power detection module 1114 does not necessarily have to identify the actual power being consumed or the actual number of units that are consuming power, along with the processor 1102. Can be adapted to identify only when power is being consumed by any of the light emitting units coupled to the. Such a “binary” determination of whether power is being consumed or not being consumed by a collection of light emitting units coupled to an LUC facility, according to one embodiment of the present invention (eg, LUC processor) An identifier identification / learning algorithm (which can be implemented by 1102 or central controller 202) is facilitated. In another aspect, the power sensing module 1114 and the processor 1102 can be adapted to at least approximately identify the actual power consumed by the light emitting unit at any time. If the average power consumed by a single light emitting unit is known in advance, the number of units consuming power at any given time can be derived from such actual power measurements. . Such identification is also useful in other embodiments of the invention, as described further below.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of a portion of a circuit implementation of an LUC that includes a power sensing module 1114 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 12, power input connections are shown as positive terminal 1112A and ground terminal 1112B. Similarly, power output connections to the light emitting units are shown as positive terminal 1110A and ground terminal 1110B. In FIG. 12, the power detection module 1114 is essentially implemented as a current sensor inserted between a ground terminal 1112B for power input connection and a ground terminal 1110B for power output connection. The current sensor includes a sampling resistor R3 that accumulates a sample voltage based on the power consumed from the power output connection. This sample voltage is then amplified by operational amplifier U6, thereby providing an output signal 1116 to processor 1102 indicating that power is being consumed.

  In one aspect of this embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the power input supply connections 1112A and 1112B are capable of supplying a power supply voltage of about 20 volts, and the power sensing module 314 is a light emitting unit coupled to the LUC. It can be designed to produce an output signal 316 of about 2 volts (ie, 2 V / A gain) per ampere of load current consumed by the group. In other respects, the processor 1102 can include an A / D converter having a detection resolution on the order of about 0.02 volts, wherein the light emitting units are approximately when each light emitting unit is energized. Consume 0.1 amp current, resulting in an output signal 1116 of at least about 0.2 volts (based on the 2V / A gain described above) when any unit in the group is energized (Ie, easily decomposed by the A / D converter of the processor). Another aspect is to occasionally measure the minimum quiescent current (off-state current, no energized light source) consumed by the group of light emitting units and set an appropriate threshold for the power detection module 1114. So that the output signal 1116 accurately reflects the case where power is being consumed by the group of light emitting units by actually energizing one or more light sources.

  As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the LUC processor 1102 monitors the output signal 1116 from the power detection module 1114 to determine whether power is being consumed by the group of light emitting units, This indication is used in an identifier identification / learning algorithm to identify a collection of identifiers for light emitting units coupled to the LUC.

  Referring to FIG. 13, tiles 500 can be connected at the back by interconnecting bracket elements 1302 connecting the tiles 500 in recessed areas 1304. The recessed area 1304 can function as a channel for facilitating wiring or cable wiring of the light emitting system including the light emitting unit 100. The enlarged area indicates the position mode of the bracket element 1302. This bracket also forms an element that provides spacing between adjacent tiles 500, wall suspension and connections. Bracket 1302 provides an integrated wiring channel along with space, attachment and suspension functions. The bracket 1302 can use one or more of these features.

  In the case of spacing of the tile 500 from walls, floors, ceilings or other surfaces, the optical element provides a light path on the back edge of the tile to frame the light emitting panel and to the tile 500 as “halo”. Gives a “halo effect”. The halo illuminator may be provided with a separate light emitting element to control front and rear light emission separately. This halo effect can also use shadow masks or molded silhouettes that give different luminous shapes such as crenellated, wavy, lines, diffusing materials with different fading on the surface, or simple sharp border frames .

The halo effect or the frame effect can also be exemplified by different separately controlled light emitting units 100. Lines or adjacent surfaces can be strips of light that are incorporated as accent pieces within a grid or pattern of tiles or panels. FIG. 14 shows square tiles 500 separated by separately controlled rectangular light emitting elements 1404. The light emitting element 1404 is modular and can be produced in any shape to produce any pattern or set of patterns.
In various aspects, each tile 500 can be partitioned into a variety of individual shapes. The grid of controllable nodes below will provide enough illumination to illuminate each node to the resolution of the grid itself. Any shape, including polygons, circles and other sets of connected patterns, can be separated and individually controlled with tile 500.

  In order to reduce the number of light emitting elements required for the tile 500, the substrate with LEDs is mounted as a light emitting unit 100 or light source 1502 on the edge towards the center of the shape, as shown on the right side of FIG. can do. Light that radiates out from the light source 1502 will decrease in intensity as a function of the distance away from the light source 1502. In order to provide more uniform illumination, the configuration of the shape inside the tile 500 allows more uniform illumination for the cover 1512 disposed over the area where the light source 1502 is disposed by capturing and reflecting the illumination. A surface can be provided. In FIG. 15, the pyramid 1510 is shown in relief, which extends in the direction of the viewer, resulting in an increase in light in the direction of the viewer. The pyramid surface 1504 near the bottom of the pyramid 1510 is brighter than the flat region 1508 closer to the light source 1502 because the incident angle of light from the light source 1502 is greater than that from the flat region 1508. This is because the light is reflected upward from the inclined surface 1504 (in the direction of the eyes of the observer who is viewing the tile 500 from the direction substantially toward the top of the pyramid 1508). With the diffusion cover 1512, this effect results in a substantially uniform intensity of illumination from the entire tile 500, as shown on the left side of FIG. That is, FIG. 15 shows a tile 500 with an edge illumination interior with and without a diffuser cover 1512. Note the use of pyramid elements 1508 to guide, diffuse and homogenize the light output. Diagonal lines can be used to separate or allow color overlap from adjacent sections by separating adjacent areas and providing them at various heights.

  The pyramid 1508 is a simple shape to achieve the desired light effect, but other shapes may be provided and may be more efficient for different differences and different configurations of the tile 500. Curve shapes, especially tailored to a mathematical model of light distribution, can provide even uniformity over distance. A shape described by a quadratic equation, such as a parabola, is suitable for providing the proper nature of the uniformity of the light reflected towards the viewer's eyes of the tile 500.

  In some embodiments, the surface material inside the tile 500 can be a matte white surface, ie, a Lambertian surface. A Lambertian surface is a surface that is fully matte, i.e., reflected light in any direction from a fully diffusing surface changes as the cosine of the angle between that direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface, Follow Lambert's cosine law. As a result, the luminance of the surface is the same regardless of the observation angle. Combining this with the shape as described above provides a comfortable and uniformly illuminated surface with no appreciable variation.

Of course, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to use a variety of shapes and materials to obtain a cost other than uniform illumination. Various shapes can provide variation, shading and texture to obtain sculptural effects from light. For example, symbols, letters, numbers, logos, letters, pictures or other elements may be designed to design the internal configuration of the tile 500, the internal reflective properties, or the light transmission capability of the cover 1512 to provide light intensity in a particular area of the tile 500. It can be formed by changing.
Here, the surface inside the tile 500, such as the pyramid 1508, is used to create an air gap and hide the space under the air gap from the power supply and controller, connectors and other relevant parts of the tile 500 system. Note that can be used for:

  Although the embodiment of FIG. 15 shows an edge illuminated system, other configurations of the light emitting unit 100 can be used to light the interior of the tile 500. These include regular or irregular grids, columnar arrays, circles, or other shapes of the light emitting unit 100 that act as light emitting elements. These elements can also have nodes that provide a fixed color or are independently controlled within the interior of the tile 500. In some aspects, a white solder mask can be used on the circuit board to maximize reflection and light output from the tile 500.

  A cover 1512 in FIG. 15 is an example of a diffusion panel for the tile 500. Such diffuser panels can be molded and engraved into various comfortable shapes for aesthetic or decorative purposes. These can be modular units that substitute for each other to change the overall appearance or represent different themes. Each facility can be unique in the combination of color and shape. The use of a colorful translucent or opaque cover, such as a silk screen, can provide even more effects. This can be used for advertising or information purposes, on the front of distribution facilities or vending machines, accessible services such as signs, phones or kiosks, and any other application. Using a translucent color, a flare effect can be created using a color that changes behind the colored graphics. The use of a modular diffuser panel allows for more diverse color changing effects based on the color of the material.

  FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate various textures and shapes that can be used to diffuse and diffract light within a wide range encompassed by the present disclosure. Cover 1600 may incorporate graphics and other elements such as text and artwork. The tessellations can be provided in a periodic or aperiodic, Escher-like or Penrose-type pattern. Many of these textured and shaped tiles 500 are used to cover many parts inside and outside buildings, including walls, doors, windows, ceilings, floors, furniture, tables, shelves, and other surfaces. Can be deployed in the environment.

  18 and 19 illustrate a diffusing surface that is designed to be easily formed to form a panel molded using conventional manufacturing techniques. Here, the tile 500 is designed to fit flush with the surface 1802, thereby eliminating the need to construct a frame outside the multi-unit configuration as far back as the walls without gaps, and for tile wiring and other The mechanical aspect of can be exposed. FIG. 19 shows several embodiments of such a tile 500 according to different designs for the diffuser panel.

  FIG. 20 shows a configuration 2000 with a regular grid of color change elements 2002 using LED packages that each incorporate red, green and blue LEDs. Of course, other LED colors can be used. The optoelectronic main element is combined with an integrated control, power and communication chip or ASIC on the backside of the substrate, which makes the development of arbitrarily shaped configurations a very simple and clear process. 20 and 21 show two different printed circuit boards 2000, 2100 with different spacing between the light emitting elements 2002, 2102. FIG. Configuration 2000 is a 6 × 6 array, or 36 units per square foot. Configuration 2100 is an 8 × 8 array, or 64 elements 2102 per square foot. This number can vary according to the particular application and is unlimited until the entire space is completely filled by the light emitting elements 2002, 2102.

These controlled optical substrates can be fabricated in any shape. Each node is addressed by an addressing scheme such as DMX, or more preferably in some embodiments, where each node receives data serially and responds to the first unmodified data element in its stream. It can be made individually controllable, either by a string write protocol described elsewhere. In this particular embodiment, the RGB clusters can be placed at the same location in a single package. When the light emitting elements are arranged in such a grid configuration, it is possible to place the diffuser panel directly on the element, and any shape, symbol, character, etc. It is possible to generate with varying intensity and color of the element. One aspect is a plurality of substrates 204 arranged in a square pattern and covered by a diffuser to form a tile light emitter 500.

  In some aspects, the control can be an object-oriented control, eg, associated with a software authoring system described elsewhere herein. In some aspects, authoring can be a geometric authoring method as described elsewhere herein. Thus, software-authored effects, such as “Flash” animations, are duplicated in configurations 2000, 2100 and then diffused to the diffuser panel, resulting in color explosions, chasing rainbows, tie-dyeing A very pleasant effect such as a shape effect can be obtained. Effects include text, graphics, animation and other scrolling. In some aspects, the effects can be authored to be responsive to an input signal, such as an input video signal, in which case the individual light emitting units 100 that form a grid or array are input video. Responsive to elements of the video signal, such as those representing a pixel or portion of a signal.

Another method of providing the tile 500 uses edge illumination, and in one aspect, uses a reflective underside or an extruded reflector shape.
Referring to FIG. 22, another aspect 2200 uses different physical layers for one effect. This method uses an integrated LED node 2204 with a diffuser 2202. Using a polygonal PCB with a white solder mask, each node 2202 is located under a ridge on the diffuser material 2204. The effect is a certain number of individually addressable controllable nodes floating in a uniform color field. Light emitting nodes 204, shown as small circles, emit light upward into diffusers 2202, which can have a variety of shapes and textures. This can be an addition to the edge lighting unit whose light is indicated by a horizontal arrow in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 23, the Penrose tile is a set of tiles that do not form a regular pattern, no matter how many are used. This pattern is called aperiodic. The simplest set of two tiles having this property is the two rhomboids shown in FIG. 23, where all edges have unit length. Tiling surfaces made with these shapes have some very interesting patterns due to color control. These are tile arrangements that fill the surface so that there are no regularly repeating patterns. Clusters of the same appearance of tiles can repeat at an infinite frequency, but are not spaced the same. Such a shape is discussed in US Pat. No. 4,133,152, entitled “Set of Tiles for Covering a Surface”, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other tiles can include versatile tiles that can form both periodic and aperiodic tilings of surfaces. These effects can be combined with other systems, such as media (music, video, video and computer games, movies, etc.) as a geometry base.

  Not only the various configurations of the light emitting unit 100, including the arrangement of tiles in various geometric shapes, but also the light emitting unit 100 having a physical location, whether it is a network address or a unique identifier, Or, as a result of developing various aspects for associating an address for the light emitting unit 100, even if it is a series or position in the string of light emitting units 100 that convey control signals along with each other, the control signal for the light emitting unit is It is further desirable to have an authoring function. An example of such an authoring system is a software-based authoring system such as COLORPLAY® by Color Kinetics Incorporated of Boston, Massachusetts.

  One aspect of the invention relates to a system and method for generating a control signal. Although the control signal is disclosed herein in connection with the authoring light show and display for the light emitting unit 100 in various configurations, it should be understood that this control signal is the light emitting Any system, light-emitting network, light, LED, LED light-emitting system, audio system, surround sound system, fog machine, rain machine, electromechanical system or any other system that can respond to control signals It can be used to control any system. Lighting systems such as those described in US Pat. Nos. 6016038, 6,150,774, and 6,166,496 illustrate several different types of lighting systems that can use control signals.

  In certain computer applications, a display screen (typically a personal computer screen, a television screen, a laptop screen, a handheld, a Game Boy screen, a computer monitor, a flat screen display, an LCD display that represents a certain virtual environment. , PDA screen, or other display). Also, there are usually users in a real world environment surrounding their display screens. The present invention relates to, among other things, using a computer application in a virtual environment to generate control signals for a system located in a real world environment, such as a lighting system, which includes a linear configuration, Located in the various configurations described above, including arrays, curvilinear configurations, 3D configurations, and other configurations, and in particular configurations that allow the tile 500 to be arranged and formed in various 2D and 3D configurations. There is a light emitting unit 100 or the like.

  One aspect of the present invention describes a method for generating the control signal shown in the block diagram of FIG. The method may include providing or generating an image or a representation of an image, ie a graphical representation 2402. The graphical representation can be a static image, such as a drawing, a photograph, a generated image, or an image that is static or looks static. While the images on the screen are continuously updated, static images can include images that are displayed on a computer screen or other screen.

  Providing the graphical representation 2402 can also include generating an image or a representation of the image. For example, a processor may be used to execute software that generates the graphical representation 2402. Again, the generated image may be static or appear static, or the image may be dynamic. One example of software used to generate dynamic images is Flash5 computer software from Macromedia, Incorporated. Flash5 is a computer program that is widely used to generate graphics, images and animations. Other useful products used to generate images include, for example, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe LiveMotion. There are many other programs that can be used to generate both static and dynamic images. For example, Microsoft Corporation manufactures the computer program Paint. This software is used to generate images on the screen in bitmap format. Other software programs can be used to generate images with bitmaps, vector coordinates, or other techniques. There are also many programs that draw graphics in three or more dimensions. For example, Microsoft's Direct X library generates images in a three-dimensional space. The output of any of the above software programs or similar programs can serve as the graphical representation 2402. In some aspects, the graphic representation may correspond to an input video signal, in which case individual video frames are represented as a graphic representation.

  In some aspects, the graphical representation 2402 may be generated using software running on a processor, but the graphical representation 2402 is not displayed on the screen. In one aspect, an algorithm can generate an image, such as an explosion in space, or a representation thereof. This explosion function can generate an image and use this image to generate a control signal with or without actually displaying the image on the screen as described herein. . The image can be displayed through the light emitting network without being displayed on the screen, for example.

  In one aspect, generating or representing an image can be accomplished by a program executed on a processor. In one aspect, the purpose of generating an image or a representation of an image is to provide information defined in space. For example, by generating an image, it is possible to define how to proceed through the space of the light emitting effect. The luminous effect can represent, for example, an explosion. This representation generates bright white light at the corner of the grid of tile 500 and advances the light at a speed (speed and method) away from this corner, changing the color of the light as the effect continues to propagate. be able to. In one aspect, the image generating device can generate a function or algorithm.

  This function or algorithm can be used for explosions, lightning strikes, headlights, trains passing through space or grid, bullets fired through space or grid, light passing through space or grid, sunrise across space or grid, space Or it can represent an event such as a spinning pinwheel moving around the grid, a color chasing rainbow, or other event. This function or algorithm may represent an image such as a light swirling in space or grid, a ball of light bouncing in space or grid, a sound bouncing in space, or other images. This function or algorithm can also represent randomly generated effects or other effects. The term “grid” is intended to encompass any two-dimensional arrangement, such as a grid, array, grid, or similar surface, including bent or curved arrangements such as walls around corners. It is. The term “space” is intended to encompass any three-dimensional arrangement.

  Referring to FIG. 24, the lighting system configuration function 2404 can accomplish additional steps of the methods and systems described herein. The lighting system configuration function can generate a system configuration file, configuration data or other configuration information for the lighting system, such as that shown in connection with FIG.

  The light system configuration function may represent or relate systems, such as the light emitting unit 100, sound systems, or other systems described herein in terms of position (s) in the environment 100. For example, the LED light emitting unit 100 can be related to the position in the room. In one embodiment, the location of the illuminated surface can also be specified for inclusion in the configuration file. The position of the irradiated surface can also be associated with the light emitting unit 100. In some embodiments, the light emitting unit 100 that generates the light that illuminates the surface is also important, while the illuminated surface 107 can be a desired parameter. When the surface is scheduled to be illuminated by the light emitting unit 100, a light emission control signal can be transmitted to the light emitting unit 100. For example, a control signal can be communicated to the lighting system when the generated image requires a particular section of the room to change in hue, saturation or lightness. In this case, the illuminated surface 107 can be illuminated at an appropriate time by using the control signal to control the lighting system. The light emitting unit 100 designed to place the illuminated surface 107 on a wall surface and project light onto the surface 107 can be placed on the ceiling. The configuration information can also be arranged to start or change the timing of illuminating the surface 107 by starting the light emitting unit 100.

  Referring to FIG. 24, the configuration information from the graphic representation 2402 and the lighting system configuration function 2404 can be supplied to the conversion module 2408, which converts the position information from the configuration file from the graphic representation. The information is converted into a control signal such as a control signal for the light emitting unit 100. Then, the conversion module can transmit the control signal to the light emitting unit 100 or the like. In some implementations, the conversion module maps the position in the graphical representation to the position of the lighting unit 100 in the environment, as stored in the configuration file for the environment (shown below). This mapping may be a one-to-one mapping of a pixel or group of pixels in a graphical representation to a light emitting unit 100 or group of light emitting units 100 in the environment 100. It can also be a mapping of pixels in the graphic representation to surfaces 107, polygons or objects in the environment illuminated by the light emitting unit 100. The mapping relationship can also map vector coordinate information, wave functions, or algorithms to the position of the light emitting unit 100. A number of different mapping relationships can be envisioned and are encompassed herein.

  Referring to FIG. 25, another aspect of a block diagram of a method and system for generating a control signal is shown. The light management function 2502 is used to generate a map file that maps the lighting unit 100 to locations in the environment, surfaces illuminated by the light system, and others. An animation function 2508 generates a sequence of graphic files for the animation effect. The conversion module 2512 associates the information in the map file 2504 for the light emitting unit 100 with the graphic information in the graphic file. For example, the color information in the graphic file can be used to convert the color control information for the light emitting unit 100 to generate a similar color. The pixel information for the graphic file can be converted to address information for the light emitting unit 100, and this address information will correspond to the pixel in question. In some implementations, the conversion module 2512 performs a lookup to convert specific graphic file information into specific lighting control signals based on the content of the configuration file for the lighting system and a conversion algorithm appropriate to the animation function in question. Includes tables. The converted information can be sent to a playback tool 2514, which can play the animation and provide a control signal 2518 to the lighting units 100 in the environment.

  Referring to FIG. 26, one embodiment of a configuration file 2600 is shown that illustrates several elements of configuration information that can be stored for the lighting unit 100 or other system. That is, the configuration file 2600 includes an identifier 2602 for each light emitting unit 100 and a desired coordinate system or mapping system for the environment 100 (which includes (x, y, z) coordinates, polar coordinates, (x, y) coordinates, etc.) The position 2608 of the lighting system 100 can be stored. Location 508 and other information may be time dependent, so configuration file 2600 may include a time element 2604. The configuration file 2600 can also store information on the position 2610 irradiated by the light emitting unit 100. This information may consist of a set of coordinates, or this information may be a surface, polygon, object or other item identified in the environment. The configuration file 2600 may also store information about the degrees of freedom available for use of the light emitting unit 100, such as available colors in the color range 2612, available intensities in the intensity range 2614, or others. it can. The configuration file 2600 may also include information about other systems in the environment, characteristics of the surface 107 in the environment, etc. controlled by the control system disclosed in the present invention. That is, the configuration file 2600 can map a set of light emitting units 100 to conditions that they can generate in the environment 100.

  In one embodiment, configuration information, such as configuration file 2600, can be generated using a program executed on the processor. Referring to FIG. 27, the program can be executed on a computer 2700 with a graphical user interface, in which case a representation of the environment 2702 is displayed to show the lighting unit 100, the illuminated surface 107 or Other elements can be shown in graphic format. This interface can include, for example, a room representation 2702. A light emitter, illuminated surface, or other system can be presented in interface 2712 to assign a location to the system. In one embodiment, the position coordinate system or position map can represent a system, such as a lighting system. The position map can also be generated, for example, for the representation of the illuminated surface. FIG. 27 shows a room including the light emitting unit 100. In other embodiments, the light emitting unit 100 can be located on the exterior of a building, on a building window, and the like.

  The representation 2702 can also be used to simplify the generation of effects. For example, a set of stored effects can be represented by an icon 2710 on the screen 2712. The explosion icon can be selected with a cursor or mouse, which prompts the user to click on the start and end points of the explosion in the coordinate system. By placing the vector in the representation, the user can initiate an explosion in the upper corner of room 2702 to allow light and / or sound waves to propagate through the environment. As identified in the configuration file 2600, the representation of the explosion is played in the room by another system, such as a lighting system and / or a sound system, with all of the lighting units 100 in place. can do.

  In use, a control system as used herein is used to provide information from the light emitting unit 100 to a user or programmer in response to or in coordination with information provided to a user of the computer 2700. Can do. One example of a method for providing this involves a user generating computer animation on computer 2700. The lighting unit 100 can be used to create one or more lighting effects in response to the display 2712 on the computer 2700. Luminous effects, or lighting effects, can produce a wide variety of effects, including color change effects; strobe effects; flashing effects; cooperative luminous effects; luminous that cooperates with other media such as video or audio. Color wash with color changing over time in hue, saturation and intensity; generation of environmental color; color fade; color chasing rainbow, flare streaking across a room, sunrise , Exercise stimulating effects such as explosions, plumes, and other movement effects; and many other effects. The effects that can be generated are nearly infinite. Light and sound continuously surround the user, control or change the lighting or color in the space, change the emotion, create the atmosphere, emphasize the material or object, or other comfortable and / or useful A positive effect. A user of computer 2700 can observe them while modifying effects on display 2712, thus allowing a feedback loop that allows the user to modify the effects for convenience.

  In one embodiment, information generated to form an image or representation can be communicated to the lighting unit 100 or multiple lighting units 100. This information can be sent to the lighting system as generated in the configuration file. For example, the image can represent an explosion that begins in the upper right corner of the room, and this explosion can propagate through the room. As the image propagates through its calculated space, control signals can be transmitted to the lighting system in the corresponding space. The transmitted signal can cause the light emitting system to generate light of a predetermined hue, saturation and intensity as the image passes through the illuminated space that the light emitting system projects thereon. One embodiment of the present invention can project an image through a lighting system. The image can also be projected using a computer screen or other screen or projection device. In one embodiment, the screen can be used to visualize the image prior to and / or during playback of the image on the lighting system. In one embodiment, a sound or other effect can be related to a light emitting effect. For example, the peak intensity of a light wave propagating in space can be set immediately before the sound wave. As a result, light waves can pass through the room and sound waves can follow. Light waves can be reproduced on the light emitting system, and sound waves can be reproduced on the sound system. This coordination can create an effect that appears to be passing through the room, or can create a variety of other effects.

  Referring to FIG. 27, the effect can propagate through the virtual environment represented on the display screen 2712 of the computer 2700. In some implementations, this effect can be modeled as a vector or plane that moves in space over time. That is, all light emitting units 100 located in the effect plane in the real world environment can be controlled to produce some kind of illumination when the effect plane propagates through the lighting system plane. . This can be modeled within the virtual environment of the display screen, which allows the developer to drag the plane through a series of positions that change over time. For example, the effect surface 2718 can be moved in the virtual environment by a vector 2708. When the effect surface 2718 reaches the polygon 2714, the polygon can be highlighted to the color selected from the color palette 2704. The light emitting unit 100 arranged on the real world object corresponding to this polygon can then be illuminated with the same color in the real world environment. Of course, this polygon can be any configuration of lighting system on any object, surface, surface, wall, etc., so that the range of 3D effects that can be created is unlimited. is there.

  In one embodiment, the image information can be communicated from a central controller. This information can be refreshed before the lighting system responds to this information. For example, the image information can be directed to a position in the position map. All of the information directed to the location map can be captured before sending the information to the lighting system. This can be accomplished each time the image is refreshed, every time a section of this image is refreshed, or at other times. In one embodiment, an algorithm can be executed on the captured information. This algorithm averages the information, calculates and selects the maximum information, calculates and selects the minimum information, calculates and selects the first quartile of information, the third quartile of information A number can be calculated and selected, the most used information can be calculated and selected, an integral of information can be calculated and selected, or another calculation can be performed on the information. By completing this step, the effect of the lighting system in response to the received information can be leveled. For example, information in a single refresh cycle may change the information in the map several times, and the effect will look best when the projected light takes one value in any refresh cycle. Can be.

  In one embodiment, the information communicated to the lighting system can be changed before the lighting system responds to the information. For example, the information format may change before transmission. Information can be communicated from the computer via a USB port or other communication port, and the format of the information can be changed to a lighting protocol such as DMX when the information is communicated to the lighting system. In one embodiment, the information or control signal can be communicated to the lighting system or other system via the communication port of a computer, portable computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant, or other system. . Information or control signals can also be stored electronically or otherwise in memory for later retrieval. Systems such as the iPlayer and SmartJack systems manufactured and sold by Color Kinetics Incorporated can be used to transmit and / or store lighting control signals.

    In one embodiment, several systems can be associated with a location map, and some systems may share a location map, or these systems may reside in independent location areas. . For example, the position of the surface irradiated from the first light emitting system may intersect the surface irradiated from the second light emitting system. The two systems can still respond to information communicated to either of the lighting systems. In one embodiment, the interaction of the two lighting systems can also be controlled. Algorithms, functions, or other techniques can be used to change the lighting effect of one or more lighting systems in the interaction space. For example, if the interaction space is greater than half of the non-interaction space from the lighting system, the hue, saturation and brightness of the lighting system can be modified to compensate for the interaction region. This can be used, for example, to adjust the overall appearance of the interaction area or adjacent area.

  In one embodiment, it is possible to couple a lighting effect to the sound, which is added to and enhances the lighting effect. An example is the “red warning” column, in which the siren-like effect of “whoop whoop” is combined with the red flashing of the entire room in coordination with the sound. One stimulus strengthens the other. Seismic sounds and movements using low frequency sounds and flashing lights are another example of such cooperative effects. Light and sound movement can be used to indicate direction.

  In one embodiment, the light emitter is represented in two dimensions or a plan view. This allows an in-plane representation of the illuminant, where the illuminant can be associated with various pixels. Standard computer graphic techniques can then be used for effects. Animation tweening and standard tools can also be used to create luminescent effects. Macromedia Flash works with relatively low resolution graphics and creates animation on the web. Flash uses simple vector graphics to create animations easily. Vector representation is efficient for streaming applications, such as sending animations on the World Wide Web. Using the same technique to extract a lighting command by mapping pixel information or vector information to a vector or pixel corresponding to the position of the lighting unit 100 in a coordinate system for the environment 100. Can be used to create animations that can

  For example, the animation window of computer 2700 can represent a room or other environment that includes a light emitter. Pixels in the window can be associated with light emitters inside the room, and a low resolution averaged image can be created from the high resolution image. In this way, the light emitter in the room can be activated when the corresponding pixel or pixel neighborhood is turned on. LED-based lighting technology can use digital control information to create any color on demand (US Pat. Nos. 6,016,038, 6,150,774, And see US Pat. No. 6,166,496), the light emitter can faithfully reproduce the color of the original image.

  Examples of effects that can be generated using systems and methods according to the principles of the present invention include, but are not limited to, explosion, color, underwater effects, turbulence, color change, fire, missiles. Tracking, room rotation, shape motion, Tinkerbell-like shapes, light moving through the room, and many others. All of these effects should be specified using parameters such as frequency, wavelength, wave width, peak-to-peak measurement, velocity, inertial force, friction, speed, width, rotation, vector, etc. Can do. Any of these can be combined with other effects, such as sound.

  In computer graphics, anti-aliasing is a technique that removes staircase effects when there is a limit to resolution in an image in which the periphery is drawn. Such an effect can be seen on television when a narrow striped pattern is shown. This area looks like ants crawling as the line approaches horizontal. Similarly, light emission can be controlled to provide a smooth transition between effect movements. For example, effect parameters such as wave width, amplitude, phase or frequency can be modified to produce a relatively good effect.

  For example, referring to FIG. 29, a schematic diagram 2900 shows a circle representing a single light emitter 2904 over time. For the effect of “traversing” this light, the effect simply has a step function that pulsates the light as the wave passes through it. However, without the concept of width, this effect may not be discernable. This effect preferably has a width. However, if the effect on the light is simply a step function that is on for some time, it appears that there is an abrupt transition, which is desirable in some cases, but moves with time (ie associated with it). For effects that have some speed to do this, this is usually undesirable.

  A wave 2902 shown in FIG. 29 has a shape corresponding to the change. In short, it is a visual convolution when the wave 2902 propagates through space. Thus, when a wave from an explosion, etc. moves through a point cloud in space, these points can increase in intensity from zero and also give associated changes in hue and saturation. Yes, and this further increases the realism of the effect movement. As the number and density of light increases, at some point the room becomes an extension of the screen, giving large and sparse pixels. Even with a relatively small number of light emitting units 100, this effect can ultimately serve as a display similar to a large screen display.

The effect may have an associated motion and direction, ie speed. Still other physical parameters can be described to obtain physical parameters such as friction, inertial force, and momentum. Even more so, the effect can have a unique trajectory. In one embodiment, each light emitter may have a representation that gives the attributes of that light emitter. This can take the form of a 2D position, for example. The light emitting unit 100 can have all or any combination of the various degrees of freedom assigned (eg, xyz-rpy).
The techniques listed here are not limited to light emission. Control signals travel through other devices based on their position, eg pyrotechnics, odor generators, fog machines, bubble machines, motion mechanisms, acoustic devices, space It can be propagated through sound effects or other systems.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 30, which includes a flow diagram 3000 that includes steps for generating a control signal. Initially, in step 3002, the user can access a graphical user interface such as display 2712 shown in FIG. Next, in step 3003, the user can generate an image on the display using, for example, a graphics program or similar function. This image can be, for example, a representation of a room, wall, building, surface, object, or other environment in which the light emitting unit 100 is placed. In relation to FIG. 30, it is assumed that the configuration of the light emitting unit 100 in the environment is known and stored, for example, in a table or configuration file 2600. Of course, similar information can simply be emitted by the light emitting unit, such as its position along the string of light emitters in the string light protocol (which can also form the grid by connecting the grid in a specific order). It can be stored by knowing 100 ordinal positions.

  Next, in step 3004, the user can select an effect from, for example, an effect menu. In one embodiment, the effect can be a color selected from a color palette. This color can also be a white color temperature. This effect may be another effect, such as that described herein. In one embodiment, image generation 3003 can be accomplished by a program running on the processor. The image can then be displayed on a computer screen. In step 3004, when a color is selected from the palette, in step 3008 the user can select a portion of the image. This can be accomplished using a cursor on the screen in a graphical user interface, where the cursor is placed over the desired portion of the image and then that portion is selected with the mouse. Following selection of the portion of the image, at step 3010, information from that portion can be converted into a light emission control signal. This can include changing the format of the bitstream or converting the information into other information. The information forming the image can be segmented into several colors such as red, green, and blue. This information can also be communicated to the lighting system, for example, in segmented red, green and blue signals.

This signal can also be transmitted to the lighting system as a decoded signal at step 3012. This technique may be useful for changing the color of the lighting system. For example, a color palette can be presented in a graphical user interface and the palette can represent millions of different colors. Some users may want to change the lighting in a room or other area to deep blue. To accomplish this task, the user can select a color from the screen with the mouse, and the lighting in the room will change so that it matches the color of the part of the screen that the user has selected. To do. In general, information on a computer screen is presented in small pixels of red, green and blue. LED systems, such as those described in US Pat. Nos. 6,016,038, 6,150,774, and 6,166,496, include red, green, and blue light emitting elements Can also be included. The process of converting information on the screen into control signals can be a format change so that the lighting system understands the commands. However, in one embodiment, the information or level of individual light emitting elements can be the same as the information used to generate the pixel information. This allows for accurate duplication of pixel information in the lighting system.

  Described herein, including techniques for locating a light system in the environment, techniques for modeling effects (including time and shape-based effects) in the environment, and techniques for mapping a lighting system environment to a virtual environment Using this technique, an unlimited range of effects can be modeled in an unlimited range of environments. The effect need not be limited to what can be created on a square or rectangular display, such as tile 500. Instead, the lighting system can be arranged in a wide range of lines, strings, curves, polygons, cones, spheres, hemispheres, non-linear configurations, clouds, arbitrary shapes and configurations, and then selected It can be modeled in a virtual environment that captures their position in the coordinate dimension. That is, the light system can be inside or outside any environment, such as a room, building, home, wall, object, product, retail store, vehicle, ship, airplane, pool, spa, hospital, operating room, or other location Can be arranged.

  In one embodiment, the lighting system can be associated with the code of the computer application so that the computer application code can be modified or created to control the lighting system. For example, object oriented programming techniques can be used to connect an attribute to an object in computer code and this attribute can be used to govern the behavior of the lighting system. Object-oriented techniques are known in the art and are described in textbooks such as “Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming” by Timothy Budd, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It should be understood that other programming techniques can also be used to guide the lighting system to illuminate in concert with the computer application, and object-oriented programming can be performed by those skilled in the art. It is one of a wide variety of programming techniques that will be understood to facilitate the methods and systems described herein.

  In one embodiment, a developer can connect lighting system inputs to objects in a computer application. For example, the developer can have an abstraction of the lighting unit 100 that is code-constructed for an application object or added to the object. An object can be composed of various attributes such as position, speed, color, intensity, or other values. Developers can add light as instances in objects in the code of computer applications. For example, the object can be a vector in an object-oriented computer animation program or a solid modeling program. The lighting unit 100 can be added as an instance of an object in a computer application, and the lighting system can have attributes such as intensity, color and various effects. Thus, when an event occurs that calls a vector object in a computer application, a thread running through the program can extract code that serves as input to the processor of the lighting system. The illuminant accurately represents shape, placement, spatial position, represents an attribute or trait value, or provides an indication of other elements or objects.

  Referring to FIG. 31, in one embodiment of the networked light emitting system according to the principles of the present invention, the network transmitter 3102 transmits network information to the light emitting unit 100. In such an embodiment, the light emitting unit 100 can include an input port 3104 and an output port 3108. The network information is transmitted to the first light emitting unit 100, which can read the information addressed to itself and send the rest of the information to the next light emitting unit 100. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are other network topologies encompassed by the system according to the principles of the present invention.

    Referring to FIG. 32, a flowchart 3200 shows steps for a method of providing coordinated lighting. In step 3202, the programmer codes the object for the computer application using, for example, object-oriented programming techniques. In step 3204, programming derives an instance for each object in the application. In step 3208, the programmer adds the light emitter as an instance to one or more objects in the application. In step 3210, the programmer prepares a thread to be executed through the application code. In step 3212, the programmer prepares a thread that derives the lighting system input code from an object having light as an instance. In step 3214, the input signal derived from the thread in step 3212 is provided to the lighting system so that the lighting system responds to the code derived from the computer application.

  Using such object-oriented light input from the code for the computer application to the lighting unit 100, various lighting effects can be associated with the virtual world object of the computer application in a real world environment. For example, in an animation of an effect, such as polygon explosion, a polygon explosion, such as sound, flashing, motion, vibration, and other temporary effects can be connected to the lighting effect. In addition, the light emitting units include sound generators, motion generators, fog machines, rain machines or other devices that can generate instructions related to the object, etc. The effect device may be included.

  Referring to FIG. 33, a flow diagram 3300 illustrates steps for coordinated lighting between a virtual environment representation of a computer screen and a light emitting unit 100 or set of light emitting units 100 in a real environment. In some embodiments, the program code for controlling the light emitting unit 100 has a separate thread that runs on the machine that supplies the control signal. In step 3302, the program starts a thread. In step 3304, the thread is executed as often as possible through a number of virtual light emitters, ie, objects in the program code that represent the light emitters in the virtual environment. In step 3308, the thread solves the 3D mathematics and any real-world light emitting unit 100 in the environment is projected as a reference point in the coordinate system of the object in the computer-represented virtual environment (eg, a real-world reference point (eg, It is determined whether it is close to the selected surface 107).

Thus, the (0,0,0) location is a location in the real environment and can also be a point on the screen (eg, the center of the display) in the computer application display. In step 3310, the code maps the virtual environment to the real world environment, including the lighting unit 100, so that an event occurring outside the computer screen is related to the virtual object and event in relation to the reference point. Is similar to the relationship to the reference point on the computer screen. In some aspects, the virtual world is two-dimensional, so that a two-dimensional real world grid, such as that formed by tile 500, is represented by a two-dimensional object in a dry environment. In other cases, the virtual world represents a three-dimensional object, such as a space or a polygon, in the real world. Such 3D objects include those formed by 2D objects such as tiles 500.

In step 3312, the method host may provide an interface for mapping. The mapping function can be performed by, for example, the “project-all-lights” function in the Directlight API described below, and this function uses a simple user interface such as a drag and drop interface. To map. The arrangement of the light emitters may not be as important as the surface that faces the light emitters. It is this surface that reflects the illumination or light back to the environment, and as a result it may be the most important to the mapping program. The mapping program can map these surfaces, not the location of the lighting system, or can map both the location of the lighting system and the light emitters on the surface.
The system that provides code for coordinated lighting is any suitable computer that allows programming, including a processor, an operating system, and a memory for storing files for execution, such as a database.

  Each light emitting unit 100 can have attributes stored in a configuration file. An example of the structure of the configuration file is shown in FIG. In some implementations, the configuration file includes the illuminant number, the position of each illuminant, the position or direction of the illuminant output, the light gamma (brightness), one or more attribute indication numbers, and others. Various data can be included, such as various attributes. By changing the coordinates of the configuration file, the real world illuminant can reflect that the mapping of the real world illuminant to the virtual world represented on the screen is occurring in the virtual environment, It can be carried out. Thus, developers can create time-based effects such as explosions. A library of effects can then be provided in the code that can be connected to various application attributes. Examples include explosion, rainbow, color tracking, fade in and fade out, and others. Developers can connect effects to application virtual objects. For example, when the explosion is finished, the light disappears in the display, reflecting the destruction of the object associated with the light in the configuration file.

  Various techniques can be used to simplify the configuration file. In some embodiments, using a hemispherical camera, numbered sequentially, as a baseline with a conversion factor, triangulate the illuminant, and without having to measure where the illuminant is located, the configuration file Is automatically generated. In some implementations, the configuration file can be typed or placed in a graphical user interface that can be used to drag the light source and drop it onto the representation of the environment. Developers can create configuration files that match instruments that are truly placed in the real environment. For example, when a light emitting element is dragged and dropped in the environment, the program can associate a virtual light emitter in the program with a real light emitter in the environment. An example of a lighting authoring program that supports the configuration of light emission is included in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 616,214, “Systems and Methods for Authoring Lighting Sequences.” Color Kinetics Inc. provides a preferred authoring and configuration program called “ColorPlay”.

Further details about the implementation of the code are given in the Directlight API documentation attached as Appendix A herein. The Directlight API is a programmer interface that allows programmers to incorporate lighting effects into their programs. The Directligh API is attached as Appendix A. Object-oriented programming is just one example of a programming technique used to incorporate luminous effects. The luminous effect can be incorporated into any programming language or programming method. In object-oriented programming, programmers often simulate 2D or 3D space.
In the above example, illuminants are used to indicate the position of objects, which generate or connect light to them as expected. There are many other ways in which light can be used. The light emitters in the lighting system can be used for various purposes, such as indicating an event in a computer application (such as a game) or indicating the level or attribute of an object.

  Recognizing that the configuration of the lighting unit 100 in the environment can be represented using a computer screen or similar device, and the representation of the lighting unit 100 is connected to an object in an object-oriented program, which If it is recognized that a control signal for the lighting unit 100 corresponding to the event and attribute of the representation in can be generated, the control signal for the lighting unit 100 can be converted into a graphical representation for the purpose of authoring the lighting show. Not only can it be connected, but also other representations and data that are generated for other purposes, such as entertainment purposes, as well as other signals and data that can be represented graphically and therefore can be represented by the lighting unit 100 in the environment. Connect to source Rukoto is, you will be understood. For example, music can be represented graphically, such as by a graphic equalizer that appears on a display such as a home appliance display or a computer screen.

  The graphic representation of the music can then be converted into an authoring signal for the lighting unit 100 in the same way that a scenarioed show is edited with a software authoring tool. Thus, any type of signal or information that can be presented graphically is addressed by the above-described similar signal generation function as described above, which converts the real world position of the light emitting unit 100 into coordinates in a virtual environment. And can be used in conjunction with the configuration function to convert it to a representation on the light emitting unit 100. For example, anything that can be detected by the signal source 124 can be graphically represented as data, and can be represented as a color, such as on an array of indoor tiles 500. For example, the tile 500 glows red when the external temperature is warm, glows blue when the stock market rises, and so on.

  An example of an expression that can be converted into a control signal for the light emitting unit 100 is a computer game expression. In computer games, a display screen (typically a personal computer screen, a television screen, a laptop screen, a handheld, a Game Boy screen, a computer monitor, a flat screen display, an LCD display, which represents a certain virtual world) A PDA screen, or other display). The graphic representation, including a graphic representation on the display screen, can typically embody game objects, events and attributes. The game code can connect a light emission control signal for the light emitting unit 100, whereby events in the game are represented graphically on the screen, and then the graphics on the screen are displayed in the explosion. Is converted into a corresponding light emission control signal, such as a signal representative of a real-world game event or attribute, such as a flashing light for use. Depending on the game, objects in the game can be represented directly on an array of light emitters, such as an array of tiles 500. For example, a game “pong” can be played on a building wall or side using tiles 500 representing game elements such as paddles and “balls”.

  For configurations that facilitate electrical connections between adjacent units, these connections can be used to establish proximity and geometry, as described in connection with FIG. Furthermore, this can be used to generate an overall map of the system, which can then be used to author effects over a certain number of tiles 500. Referring to FIG. 34, if tile A is connected or connected to tile B and type B is connected to tile C, then the three tiles where the overall topology or relationship to each other is established. Is obtained. This can be done automatically by a system that identifies specific tiles by type or by unit. This information can be stored or represented by a memory element or an electrical jumper or resistor representing the identifier. That is, each tile 500 or panel element knows what its neighbors are, knows what tiles 500 exist in the network of light emitting elements, and knows what is in each tile This allows the system to know where all the light emitting elements are located. This allows an effect or image to treat the entire system as one integrated unit.

  In such an implementation, each tile 500 has a unique ID or ID that represents the type of tile 500. It can also be one of several variants. If adjacent tiles are electrically connected to each other by edge connection, a handshake routine can be provided to communicate between these tiles and supply information to each other. This is very similar to the protocol followed when the device is connected to a computer network. Determining the overall topology therefore requires a sequence of communications from one tile or panel to the next and further to the central controller. There are two types of tiles 500 shown in FIG. 34, which are triangles and squares. Adjacent tiles 500 have electrical connections, which allow the transmission of information from one unit to the next using serial protocols and low overhead communication. The connection between the tiles enables a communication path that determines the configuration of the completed facility. Knowledge of neighbors and tile types provides an unambiguous arrangement in these two neighbor configurations. It is possible to have more than one neighbor as long as the connecting geometry is known. For network self-configuration for the purpose of generating physical pixels, see, for example, Kelly Heaton's research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, Master of Science in Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Arts and Sciences in June 2000. (Degree of Master of Science) is described in “Physical Pixels” submitted to the Media and Sciences course of the Architecture and Planning Department as a partial implementation of the qualification requirements.

  Another application for using tile 500 is as described above for the use of these devices under ice in an ice-centric venue, including skating rinks or other ice sculptures. Is use. These tiles can be laid under the ice. To protect the tile, an encapsulant or transparent protective coating is used to prevent damage to the unit from water and human or vehicle weight. Ice will diffuse light from tile 500 as a layer of water is added to the link and built on top of the unit.

  When the ice is ready, combine the skater on the ice and the sensing device on the prop with the position system to determine the absolute position of other artifacts such as skater and pack on the ice, Its position can be tracked with light over time. Thus, the skater can track the shape when skating and place special effects such as light or color change and transition afterimages to "tail" the movement. For Ice Capades etc., light is a display on a wide range of themes, including patriotic things, or characters in ice events, namely “Cinderella”, “Winnie-the-Pooh” Can be used as a display related to others.

  Additional sensing can respond by “unveiling” the image by sensing the presence of a person or a person's hand or arm, or instrument, and sensing the approach of the arm or instrument. For example, when the arm moves across the surface, the light emission pattern is exposed as if the surface covering is simply wiped away. Although contact is not required, it is possible to do so, and a pad or a translating pad can be used as well. For example, a squeegee-like device that detects its presence and approach and turns on an approaching light emitting element. The timing of uncovering the underlying light pattern may be adjusted by detecting movement and speed of movement. It can also be used for motion tracking and instructions such as during dancing and moving. The surface may be treated as a canvas and the color can be selected by other operating means or signaling means. An afterimage effect can be added to make the movement have its “tail”.

  In general, any display mode described for tile 500 is combined with sensing means (electromagnetic, IR, wireless, capacitive, visible light, Hall effect, sound, etc.) to trigger the effect or to detect the effect as a detection signal. Can be tied to the amplitude or position. A person moving near the wall, floor or ceiling can trigger the effect. Sensing information can be coupled to luminescence using proximity detection devices that operate on many principles. Music can provide a light-emitting effect based on the frequency and amplitude of the music signal and combine it (response system) or trigger a pre-written effect and then synchronize to the music.

The acoustic effect is usually done via a directly coupled microphone, changing the illumination pattern or illumination sequence as a function of amplitude. More advanced effects are possible based on temporal and spatial effects that propagate the effects or coordinate the show order with music or audio.
Additional sensing can adjust the light output as a function of ambient light by coupling a light sensor such as a TAOS sensor or a simpler photoelectric sensor that is a measure of ambient light. This information is then used by the controller to dimm the total light or change the color or color temperature accordingly. Even time or sky images can be used, and panels can be used to match their colors.

  Virtual skylight can also be generated on the floor and in spaces where the ceiling is not a roof. Tile illuminators are well suited to the concept of Virtual Skylight® or Virtual Window, where they have a very inexpensive camera (a cheap webcam is sufficient) and the image Is used in slow or real time, not necessarily giving a high resolution window, but what is happening outside-to get a sense of the passage of clouds or the shadow of something moving. The VS or VW can also be a non-sensing based system with a simple dimming interface or an interface such as that of Color Dial of Color Kinetics Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts.

Other control-related aspects of the present invention include the incorporation of magnification change coefficients for dimming and calibration, which are set and programmed in the controller memory at the factory, or the user can use a dip switch or It can be set in the tile light by PC interface or other similar means.
Tile 500 can be any shape, including polygons, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, ellipses, rhombuses, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, octagons, decagons, and any other shape. Although much of the above description was about the concept of a two-dimensional shape for a panel or tile 500, these elements can form any three-dimensional shape as 3D. . Any three-dimensional shape can be formed, as well as many polygonal objects including pyramids, tetrahedrons, dodecahedrons, parallelpipeds, and others.

  The present invention encompasses a combination of the physical shape of a luminaire and the ability to individually address and control the luminaire compartments to achieve special lighting effects throughout the room or section. . The present invention also provides for the construction of a luminaire or display that utilizes a linked, substantially similar, repeating subassembly whose linkage mechanism can provide both mechanical strength and electrical connection. Regarding the method. The present invention also relates to the use of connected, repeating subassembly geometries for the purpose of enabling accurate and precise positioning of the light source. The invention further relates to combining the physical shape of the display with the ability to individually address and control the display sections to achieve the overall lighting effect.

As shown in FIGS. 35, 36, and 37, for a sphere 3500 having a special representative shape, a connected design in the form of a 2D triangle is generated, and this 2D triangle is connected to another board of the same design, Although connected, not a Platonic solid (see below), which can form a sphere 3500, this principle is based on connecting elements to produce scaled shapes and multiple shapes. Can be used.
Mechanical connections using rigid supports and fasteners can be used to hold the molded substrate elements together, but electrical connections can also be used, or adjacent substrate soldering Can provide sufficient connections for many small shapes. Each substrate in this case is a networked light emitting element that can be individually controlled. This can be accomplished by separate controllers on each board, which use commercially available microprocessors or integrated control chips such as Chromasic chips that use color kinetics string light protocols. can do.

  Other shapes include cubes, octahedrons, rhombic dodecahedrons, pyrite-type dodecahedrons, the pyritohedrons, deltoidal dodecahedrons, polyhedrons (tetartoids), tetrahedra, declinations Diploid, gyroid, polyhedron (tetartoid), orthohedral polyhedron (trapezohedron), hexoctahedron, tetrahexahedron, tristetrahedron, polarized polyhedron ( trisoctahedron), and hextetrahedron. Each of these shapes has the advantage of being formed with simple geometric elements that can be designed as circuit board elements for light emission control and illumination. Further, a Planton solid is also disclosed, which is a polyhedron whose faces are all regular polygons, which means that they have congruent sides and angles. There are only five types of polyhedrons as shown in FIG.

  In various embodiments, interconnection and modularity can be further improved by using inductive elements that co-align with each other. Inductive coupling uses an AC signal, similar to a transformer, and can be used to supply power, eg, 12 VAC, from one element to another. At the same time, data can be superimposed on the power signal to create a multiplexed data / power connection. Multiplexing can also be done using multiplexed data and DC power between elements by direct electrical connection. This concept is similar to the Color Kinetics iColor MR product, but the physical form factor is very different: the tile 500, not the lamp.

  To make it even easier, the communication between the elements can be done by optical means (such as visible or infrared) so that adjacent panels are aligned so that the optical coupling element can be moved from one element to the next. Allows you to stream data. In this way, a wide variety of cooperation and synchronization patterns can be generated across various panels. Another method uses RF technology to interconnect multiple panels without using wiring or the like.

The present disclosure includes a number of ways to communicate upward between modules. The underlying architecture is also relevant. In FIG. 39, each of the numbered blocks (1, 2,... N) represents a tile 500 having a plurality of controllable nodes (eg, RGB or RGBW and control chips). A series of hubs or routers are connected using a network, eg, Ethernet, each of which is connected to a number of tiles 500. By this method, a hierarchy of elements from a processor, computer or controller provides a control data stream to the hub, which captures information for them and distributes it to the nodes in the lighting unit 100 and tile 500. This is different from, for example, a video screen that listens to the entire video signal and retrieves a specific section of the signal to be displayed.
Referring to FIG. 40, the additional invention uses a very high speed serial bus 4002, but is conceptually simpler, but uses a high speed approach. The bus 4002 can also be a high speed version of FireWire. The interconnection between tiles can also be wireless, such as Bluetooth or any other known wireless connection protocol.

  Referring to FIG. 41, various mounting configurations can be used in some aspects of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 41, the distance L4108 to the surface 4104 of the light source 4102 can be selected to minimize overlap with light from the light source 4102 and maximize the effective range. As can be seen in FIG. 41, the distance is a function of the beam angle of the LED 4102. Within a practical percentage range, it is desirable to select a distance 4108 that is selected to eliminate many overlaps or provide a frame or box between adjacent light emitting elements. As can be seen from FIG. 41, the functions related to the beam angle and the distance are trigonometric function values. When the half-angle spread is α and the distance between adjacent LEDs is L, the distance at which the beams from adjacent LEDs intersect is L / (2 tan (α)). This is the desired distance. However, because of absorption, reflection, and other optical properties, it may be desirable to adjust this distance slightly in the other direction of the distance to obtain the most pleasant effect.

  Still referring to FIG. 41, the proximity of the LED to the surface defines a composite pattern. FIG. 41 shows the row of light emitting diodes 4102 and the effect of the distance of the diffusing surface 4104. If the LED 4102 is too close to the surface, it will produce a series of points depending on the diffusion quality of the surface 4104. If it is too far, the overlap causes mixing of adjacent light sources. Finally, the rightmost figure shows the position of the diffuser corresponding to the point where the beams from adjacent light sources coincide.

In a normal manner, the light source 4102 is not a perfect beam, with maximum light at one angle and zero at the next angular increment. However, a rapid drop in light is common, and the beam pattern and angle are often defined by the angle at which the light drops to half the center intensity.
Another mechanical means of preventing duplication and potentially increasing the light output is for each light source 4102, such as those used within its egg-crate luminescent diffuser for each light source 4102. Is mechanically isolated from its neighbors. Thin materials can be used at small offset distances to prevent the rows of mechanical parts from being seen through the diffuser.

  Referring to FIG. 42, the light source 4102 is in this case directly observed without any intervening diffusing material. FIG. 42 is a direct view image of the LEDs 4102 mounted in a regular array on the substrate 4202. No diffuser is used. As can be seen in this image, the light source 4202 appears as a bright spot of light. They can be controlled individually or synchronized to do the same over time. The upper part of FIG. 42 shows a row of LEDs facing outwards, and there is no material that interrupts the optical path to observation. In the bottom image, the substrate shows four 1 square substrates, each in an 8 × 8 (64) grid of RGB LED light sources.

  Referring to FIG. 43, in some aspects, the diffusing surface 4104 can be tilted with respect to the light source 4102. In FIG. 43, the diffusing surface 4104 is shown in front of the LED 4102 between the light source and the viewer. The diffusing surface is at an angle to the LED. As can be seen in FIG. 43, as the distance changes, the light spot is visible and merges with the adjacent light spot. If they are too close together, the colors from adjacent light sources overlap each other, making it difficult to distinguish the sources and color mixing occurs. In the case of different colors, the resulting resolution degradation is similar to the defocused image when blurring occurs. This example can be used in applications where transitions between different points of light are desirable, and in blurred areas where the resolution has been reduced due to effects.

  Referring to FIG. 44, various configurations and surfaces can be used with the light source 4102. In FIG. 44, the LED element 4102 is shown contacting the surface 1401 from left to right. The structure embedded in the diffusing material forms an interlocking shape with the LED. This is true depending on whether the LED is a standard 5mm (T1-3 / 4) package, SMT, or other power package. This tight coupling reduces reflection losses, and optical losses can be minimized or eliminated by using optical gel materials together.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 44, a material is used to form a shape having overall optical properties to shape the output from a series of individual light sources 4102. In aspect 4408, the material is shaped as a flat surface. In aspect 4410, material 4104 is an optical lens. In aspect 4412, the wavy surface forms various patterns and shapes resulting from light interaction with varying distances. In aspect 4414, such a shape or any other shape can adjust the distance from the LED light source. This adjustment device can be one of a number of mechanical means for adjusting or setting the distance. A simple screw 4418 is shown, and as the screw 4418 is turned, the material moves away from or toward the LED substrate. Such an adjustment device can be a latch and serrated pattern that captures a mechanical pawl or indentation structure, or any other mechanism for adjusting distance and height.

  Referring to FIG. 45, a number of aspects of the fastening and mounting functions for the light source of the present invention to hold the LED module on the surface are shown. The aspect of FIG. 45 is intended to illustrate a general fastening function and is not limiting. These examples do not limit the means by which one material or surface can be attached to another under any circumstances. In aspect 4502, when a small structure on the side is pushed into the circular hole in the panel from the top of the panel, it is locked into that hole. The cables connecting the modules are shown in cross section and are continuously transmitted from one module to the next, and are connected to the modules via insulation arrangement means (IDC style). Module 4504 has a small flat tab 4506 to the side integral with the package and is used as a hold down area through screws, nails, needles or other fasteners. In aspect 4508, a small discrete flat part having an interlocking structure is clamped to the surface and the module is snapped onto the separate part. In aspect 4510, this aspect is similar to aspect 4504, but the area of the tab is circular or extends through the bottom of the module.

  In aspect 4512, smaller holes can be created in the panel to thread the screw structure shown at 4516 or to be used with self-tapping screws from the opposite side of the mounting surface. In an aspect 4524, the panel fastener 4526 attaches to the modular design or is integrated and pushed through an appropriately sized hole and directly positioned and held. In an aspect 4518, a two-part arrangement is provided and the first bottom piece 4528 is attached to the mounting surface via one of many possible means such as, but not limited to, screws, nails, adhesives, and the like. It is done. The second part 4530 with pre-attached wiring is snapped into the bottom part via an interlocking structure that provides a locking action when the module is pushed from the top. Although not shown, additional front and rear structures prevent the unit from sliding or moving into the bottom mounting component 4528. In an aspect 4514, a tab extending from the bottom piece 4528 can be attached to the surface. The module is attached to the bottom piece 4528 in a manner similar to that described with respect to aspect 4518. In an aspect 4520, the module protrudes from the bottom of the panel. A similar function provides a snap-in function and the wiring remains on the bottom of the panel. In aspect 4522, an adhesive in the form of a double-sided component can be attached to the bottom of the module and the module itself. For installation, the protective material is peeled away from the adhesive to expose the sticky surface and then pressed against the mounting surface. In direct or other materials, the adhesive can be scraped or removed and a new DST part can be applied.

  Referring to FIG. 46, details of the push-through assembly mechanism are shown. In FIG. 46, a light node 4602 is pressed from the bottom side and passes through a hole 4604 in the mounting surface 4608. A rim 4610 on the bottom of the light emitting node 4602, which is larger than the diameter of the hole 4604, prevents the light emitting node 4602 from being pushed out. Accordingly, the wiring 4612 that joins the plurality of light emitting nodes 4602 is protected so as not to mesh with the shearing edge of the mounting hole 4604. From the opposite side, the retaining ring 4614 is pressed to the outside of the light emitting node to engage internal teeth 4618 or other similar functions with the light emitting node 4602, preventing it from returning into the hole 4604. When engaged and pressed to be flush with the mounting surface 4608, this positive engagement ensures that the unit is positioned and held. The retaining ring 4614 can also be removed by lifting the retaining ring 4614 using a reasonably thin edge tool.

  Referring to FIG. 47, the surface illuminated by light emitting node 4102 need not be a two-dimensional surface, as described herein. For example, it can be a complex topology, such as surface 4700 of FIG. In this example, a deeply carved or textured 3D surface can also be used in conjunction with a light emitting element or light emitting node 4102. Various comfort effects can be achieved with such a surface 4700 by changing the distance to the surface. The 3D surface 4700 can be of any suitable translucent or transparent material. Changing the depth and thickness actually makes it opaque and gives a rich combination of changes in color and translucency. The surface itself can be colorless or give it an intrinsic color and color depth.

  Referring to FIG. 48, it is also possible to have a three-dimensional illuminated shape 4800 with features or colors that are enhanced or emphasized by a set of controllable light emitting nodes 4102 behind that shape. For example, the hemispherical shape 4800 includes a map of a portion of the Earth on it, and the light-emitting node 4102 uses shining blue light to enhance the sea or yellow light to enhance the yellow surface structure. Etc., and can be illuminated to enhance the color.

  With reference to FIGS. 49 and 50, it is also possible to establish an array of light emitting elements comprising superimposed graphic elements, such as translucent graphics and materials. For example, the array of light emitting elements 4900 can be covered by superimposed translucent elements 4902 or transparent elements 4904 to highlight the effect of light emission from the array 4900. Referring to FIG. 50, the overlay element may be a logo 5002 or similar elements such as a brand, trademark, trade name, business name, personal name, and the like. The overlay element may also be a graphic 5004, such as a graphic designed to produce a change effect or “flair” effect when the light emitting element illuminates the graphic 5004 with a different light color. You can also. As shown in the above figures, these light emitting arrays 4900 highlight or outline graphic elements for use for new elements in consumer products and others as well as display or advertising applications. Can be used to delineate. Graphics printed on different materials with different light transmission qualities can be overlaid on top of the array to provide flexible and controllable backlit illumination for the graphic materials Can do. These graphics can be any printed material.

  Referring to FIG. 51, the array 4900 can have various spacings. In one aspect, the array 4900 is a regularly spaced, linear, planar array 5100. In other embodiments, the arrays can be randomly spaced. FIG. 52 shows a planar array 5200 of light emitting elements 4102 that are randomly spaced. 51 and 52 illustrate changes in the spacing of the light emitting elements. The spacing can be regular or free form. The spacing can be varied in three dimensions, such as varying linearly or non-linearly throughout the unit, or due to the substantially spherical shape described above.

  FIG. 53 shows a three-dimensional loop 5300 in the form of a Mobius strip. As shown in FIG. 53, the mesh of light emitting elements 4102 can be generated with an infinite variety of overall shapes in three dimensions, not just with different densities and spacings. A Mobius strip is a topological surface that has only one end and one side. Luminescent elements can be easily incorporated into such types of complex surfaces (toruses, klein bottles, hypercube representations in 3-space, etc.).

  The methods and systems described herein also include the use of a thermosetting material as the grid material or mounting surface material on which the light emitting node is mounted. The thermosetting material can be molded in a mold under heating or manually, and then cooled to the desired shape. In this way, the surface for the application can be molded and twisted or otherwise formed under heat or pressure to form the desired shape and maintain its shape. Examples of thermosetting materials include ABS, acrylic resin, fluororesin, nylon resin, polyarylate resin, polyester resin, polyphenylene sulfide, polystyrene resin, acetal resin, acrylonitrile, methacrylic resin, phthalate, polybutylene, polyether. , Polyphenylene, polysulfone resin, styrene resin, acrylic resin, cellulose resin, molding resin, polyamide resin, polycarbonate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene terephthalate, and vinyl & polyvinyl resin. This list does not limit the types and variations of thermoplastic materials in any way. Another method of generating shapes is to use blendable and moldable materials, such as metals, which are in one form of wire grid, many forms by twisting and forming. Can be. The wire mesh, screen and cloth can be made of metal, coated metal (such as Gumby® figures) or plastic material, and then pressed or drawn into a wide variety of shapes . As shown in FIG. 54 below, such a grid arrangement of materials provides significant flexibility in the arrangement of the modules.

  Referring to FIG. 54, the light emitting nodes 4102 can be spaced apart in the range of the wire grid 5402 so that they have full flexibility in mounting and are only constrained by the grid 5402 itself. In this disclosure, the mounting surface itself can be molded to be three-dimensional. There is no restriction on the shape of the mounting surface as long as the light emitting element is ready for mounting or mounting.

  Referring to FIG. 55, the complex arrangement of light emitting nodes 4102 arranged in grid 5402 itself forms graphic elements, icons, and other representations of subject matter or artistic freedom, such as in display 5502. be able to. As shown in FIG. 55, the location of the light emitting node can form a specific pattern and shape according to a specific design. A high density array of such modules can be used to form any colored pattern, but if the application requires only a subset of the high density array, a specific pattern is used. It is more economical to do. This is more economical and practical in many installations. Again, the grid 5402 shown in the figure is only for showing the possibility of mounting and routing of the light emitting node 4102.

  The methods and systems described herein also provide various cap and lens options for the light emitting nodes or elements described herein. FIG. 56 shows a light emitting node 5602 comprising a snap module 5604 with a short lens option 5608. The design of FIG. 56 is one of many modular designs. In this figure, a hemispherical lens 5608 is incorporated in the unit. Such a lens 5608 is designed in a specific interlocking format for engaging the base module 5604, so that the lens 5608 is modular and has an aesthetic appearance or application based on optical properties or purely shape Many shapes can be taken depending on the desired function. Such lens designs can be in the form of licensed letters, jewelry shapes or icons or company logos or many application-specific shapes.

FIG. 57 shows a long lens 5702, where the appearance may be a uniform light color along the entire lens assembly.
FIG. 58 shows a light emitting node 5802 without a lens. Modules without lenses accept various lens configurations or do not accept lenses at all. In FIG. 58, a well 5804 surrounding the light emitting emitter and the electronic circuit can be fitted through various caps or lens modules. The term “lens” is not intended to be limiting in any way. The form of the material and “lens” design can be an optical function to diffract, reflect and diffuse light, but can also be transparent, opaque by area, or translucent. It can be any shape whose part is compatible with the modular design. There is no limit on the unit scale, and the dimensions are intended to describe a particular design, but the units can be scaled up or down to provide functionality for multiple applications.

  FIG. 59 shows a computer aided design (CAD) drawing 5900 of a single node holding device aspect of a light emitting node. FIG. 60 shows a CAD drawing 6000 of the light-emitting node without lens. The modules shown in FIGS. 59 and 60 are representative modules having dimensions of about 10 mm. The light emitting node can be easily scaled to smaller dimensions (eg, 1 mm scale) or larger dimensions (100 or 1000 mm), and the module consists of multiple light emitting elements within the module. FIG. 59 also shows a truck mounting system 5902 for a light emitting element or module. In FIG. 59, the module is shown snapped or attached to a track shape, providing a linear form of module arrangement for many applications. The completed light emitting unit can be used for various purposes. Further, a bendable radius can be provided, which literally provides not only lateral but also vertical flexibility for mounting on other surfaces.

  Referring to FIG. 61, other aspects of the present invention may include the use of various signal sources 124, such as sensors, as a basis for authoring control signals for tile 500. For example, the proximity sensor 6102 may be placed at or near the tile 500 so that when the user 6104 is near the tile 500, the tile changes color in a predetermined manner. That is, the proximity sensor 6102 serves as a user interface for the tile 500. An array of tiles 500 with such sensors 6102 can then be placed on a wall to achieve different effects, such as by the user 6104 waving near different tiles in different orders. Can be authored. For example, a color chasing rainbow or similar effect can be generated on an array of tiles 500 by holding a hand over the tiles 599.

  The tile 500 can be of any size, from a very small size tile, such as a group of LEDs, to a very large tile. Referring to FIG. 62, the tile 500 is dimensioned to cover the entire ceiling, floor, or wall, as for a room or elevator. Thus, for example, the metal substrate can be in the dimensions of a wall panel on which LEDs are placed and controlled, for example, by the string light or serial protocol described above. The metal substrate can be formed into any shape that fits into space, such as a rectangle, circle, regular polygon, or irregular shape. In some aspects, the metal substrate comprising the LEDs may then be covered with a diffusing material, such as translucent, elastoplastic or polymer, that can be stretched over the substrate for installation as a unit. Such units can function as walls, doors, ceilings, floors, elevator walls, or other construction units.

  In some aspects, the tile 500 can be water resistant for outdoor applications or waterproof for underwater applications. Thus, the tile 500 can also be constructed with a water-resistant structure, such as a sealing connection for power and control wiring, covered with a waterproof polymer, rubber, plastic or other waterproof material. Such embodiments may include materials such as metal or other conductors that take heat from the LEDs by heat conduction to increase their lifetime, such as water outside the tile 500 or other It can be thermally connected to the material. Waterproof underwater tile 500 illuminates the bottom or side of an underground or ground swimming pool, portable or underground spa, fountain bottom or side, pond or water display, garden water display, aquarium, or any other underwater environment Can be used to do. Thus, referring to FIG. 63, the tile 500 provides a digitally controlled lighting show of various colors or color temperatures within the pool 6300, for example displayed at the bottom of a swimming pool 6300, spa, fountain, pond or aquarium. can do.

  In some aspects, the light source 104 may be disposed on a support structure such as the substrate 204. The substrate 204 can be a circuit board or a similar function that can support electrical components, such as components used in the electrical facility 202 as well as the light source 104. Referring to FIG. 64, in some aspects, the substrate 204 may comprise a rectangular substrate 204 comprising an array of light sources 104 or a grid 2208. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 64, the array is a 6 × 6 array of 6-inch square substrates 204. The array 2208 can comprise any number of light sources 104 and can take any other dimensions. The light source may consist of a miniature group of LEDs, such as red, green, blue, white or other LED colors. In some embodiments, each light source 104 is comprised of a triad of red, green and blue surface mounted LEDs. A square array is very convenient to place the array 2208 side by side with other substrates 204 that contain similar arrays 2208, so that multiple arrays 2208 such as an extension system that covers the walls or exterior of a building Effects can be generated throughout. That is, the array 2208 can serve as a module component of a larger lighting system. To facilitate quick installation, the substrate 204 may have a plurality of pre-manufactured screw holes 2210 that are convenient for attaching the substrate 204 to a wall or other mounting area. In some aspects, the substrate 204 is provided with a protective cover 2212, such as a plastic cover that protects the substrate from damage, preventing the user from touching electrical connections on the substrate 204. The cover 2212 may include the space 2214 so that the observer can directly see the light source without passing through the cover 2212 and diffusing the light. In other aspects, the cover 2212 can be a light transmissive cover or a light diffusing cover.

  Referring to FIG. 65, in another aspect, the array 2208 of light sources 104 is less dense than the 6 × 6 array of FIG. 65, but the substrate 204 (again a 6 inch × 6 inch substrate 204), a cover 2212, A 3 × 3 array including similar elements, such as screw holes 2210 and a space 2214 through which an observer can directly view the light source 104 may be provided. Again, the light source 104 can be configured with various LED colors, such as a triplet of red, green and blue surface mount LEDs.

  FIG. 66 shows the back side of the substrate 204, such as the rectangular array 2208 substrate described in connection with FIGS. The substrate 204 includes a jack 2218 for capturing power and data from a source and a jack 2220 for delivering power and data. In some aspects, jacks 2218, 2220 allow board 204 to be aligned in series with other boards 204, and data from the central controller is communicated from board to board by jacks 2218, 2220. In some aspects, each group of light sources 104 in the array 2208 may be provided with a processor, such as an ASIC 3600, that handles emission control signals for the light sources 104. In some aspects, the ASICs 3600 are arranged in series and controlled by a serial control function as described herein, where each ASIC takes a data stream and responds to the first unmodified byte. Modify the byte it responds to and send the modified data stream to the next ASIC. The ASIC 3600 on the back side of the substrate 204 can also be connected to an array, such as a 6 × 6 array 2208 or a 3 × 3 array 2208. In some aspects, each of the ASICs 3600 is disposed along resistors and capacitors on the back side of the substrate 204. Also, the board 204 includes an additional ASIC 2230 to identify the specific type of board 204 on which the ASIC is placed, such as the central controller identifying the board 204 as a 6 × 6 or 3 × 3 array. You may be able to do that. Further, the substrate 204 may include an extruded portion 2228 from the screw hole 2210. Extruder 2228 guides screws that attach substrate 204 to the surface and offsets between the back and surface of substrate 204 to prevent ASIC 3600 or other components from collapsing when attaching substrate 204 to the surface. can do. The corner extrusion 2224 similarly provides an offset at the corner of the substrate 204.

In some aspects, the cover 2212 may be fitted with a lens, diffuser or other optical fixture 400 that shapes the light emitted from the light sources 104 that make up the array 2208, such as increasing the viewing angle of the light sources 104. Good.
In some embodiments, the light emitting unit 100 may include a dipline type mounting panel that allows the unit to be placed anywhere on the surface. The substrate 204 may include integrated hash marks for aligning the unit 100 during installation. In some aspects, the substrate 204 may have an integrated laser level meter to facilitate accurate installation. In this aspect, a pin connector mounted in a modular manner is inserted and pushed into the surface of the material using a laminated surface of a conductor such as a Dipline type (Dipline is a registered laminated conductor mounting material) surface material. The unit can be placed anywhere by contact with a selected conductor layer inside the surface.

  Referring to FIG. 67, the housing may take the form of a flexible band 6750, tape or ribbon to allow the user to adapt the housing to a particular shape or gap. That is, the various aspects of tile 500 described herein can be flexible tiles. Similarly, the housing can take the form of a flexible string 6754. Such a band 6750 or string 6754 can be configured in various lengths, widths and thicknesses, molded to fit body parts or voids for surgical lighting applications, molded to fit objects, usually It can be adapted to the specific requirements of the applications that benefit from the flexible housing, such as molding to fit non-spaces, etc. In the flexible embodiment, it may be advantageous to use a thin battery such as a small band 6750 or a string polymer or “paper” battery.

  Referring to FIG. 68, an array 6800 is formed from a flexible string 6754, such as a string light-emitting node, described in the literature described in connection with FIGS. 56-59 and incorporated herein by reference. Can do. While such an array 6800 is flexible, once placed, it can be used to rigid grids, such as those placed on the circuit board described in connection with FIGS. Similar effects can be displayed. For example, the array 6800 can be stitched together on the exterior surface of a building, such as by clipping the nodes of a flexible string into rows or columns, or connecting the nodes in a channel to create a linear arrangement. Such an array is used to display effects designed to run on large arrays, including, for example, color change shows, graphic effects, animation effects, video-type effects, text scroll effects, etc. be able to.

  Referring to FIG. 69a, it is desirable to provide a lighting system manager 5000 to manage the control of multiple lighting units 100 or lighting systems. Referring to FIG. 69b, a lighting system manager 5000 is provided that can be configured with a combination of hardware and software components. It includes a mapping function 5002 for mapping multiple lighting system locations. This mapping function can use a variety of techniques for finding and mapping the location of the illuminant as described herein or known to those skilled in the art. The location can be a physical location in the world or a relative location, such as the relative position of the light emitting unit 100 in a string or array of light emitting units 100. A lighting system composer 5400 is also provided for composing one or more lighting shows that can be displayed on the lighting system. Show authoring may be based on geometrical and object-oriented programming techniques, such as those disclosed in this specification and references incorporated herein by reference, or known in the art. Such as the geometry of a lighting system that can be discovered and mapped using a mapping function. It also executes the code for the lighting show and distributes the lighting control signal to the relevant system, such as one or more lighting systems, or the power / data system that controls the lighting system, for example. A lighting system engine is provided for playing the show. Further details of lighting system manager 5000, mapping function 5002, lighting system composer 5004, and lighting system engine 5008 are described herein.

  The lighting system manager 5000, the mapping function 5002, the lighting system composer 5004, and the lighting system engine 5008 can be provided by a combination of computer hardware, telecommunication hardware and computer software components. Different components can be provided on a single computer system or distributed among separate computer systems.

  Referring to FIG. 70, in one aspect, mapping function 5002 and lighting system composer 5004 are provided on authoring computer 5010. The authoring computer 5010 may be a conventional computer such as a personal computer. In some aspects, authoring computer 5010 includes conventional personal computer components such as a graphic user interface, keyboard, operating system, memory, and communication functions. In some aspects, authoring computer 5010 operates in a development environment with a graphic user interface, such as a Windows environment. The authoring computer 5010 connects to the network by any conventional communication connection such as, for example, a wire, data connection, wireless connection, network card, bus, Ethernet connection, Firewire, 802.11 mechanism, Bluetooth, or other connection. May be. In some embodiments, as in FIG. 70, the authoring computer 5010 is provided with an Ethernet connection, thereby optionally via the Ethernet switch 5102, etc. optionally, the lighting system engine 5008, the lighting system itself (from the authoring computer 5010 Including a power / data source (PDS) 1758, which provides power and / or data to a lighting system comprised of one or more lighting units 100) It may be possible to communicate with an Ethernet base device. For example, the lighting system may be a substrate 204 comprising a tile light emitter 500 or an array 2208 in which a plurality of light emitting units 100 are arranged in a grid pattern. The mapping function 5002 and the lighting system composer 5004 may include software applications that run on the authoring computer 5010.

  Still referring to FIG. 70, in an architecture that provides a control system for a complex show to one or more lighting systems, a show configured using the authoring computer 5010 is via an Ethernet connection. And delivered to the lighting system engine 5008 by one or more Ethernet switches. The lighting system engine 5008 downloads the shows configured by the lighting system composer 5004 and plays them to generate a lighting control signal for the lighting system. In some aspects, the lighting control signal is relayed to one or more power / data sources by an Ethernet switch and executes its instructions, for example, by switching on and off the LEDs. It is relayed to a light emitting system equipped to control its color or color temperature or change its hue, intensity, or saturation. In some aspects, the power / data source can be programmed to receive directly from the lighting system composer 5004. In some aspects, the bridge can be programmed to convert the signal from the lighting system engine 5008 format to a conventional format such as a DMX or DALI signal used for entertainment lighting.

  The light emitting system composer 5004 can use the graphic representation and the object-oriented authoring technique described in relation to FIGS. That is, including a representation of a video signal, the graphic representation can be converted into a control command, and the light emission control signal maps the location of the light emitting unit 100 to a corresponding location in the graphic representation. In the case of a graphical representation of the input video signal, the row / column format of the conventional video signal is mapped to the format of a group of light emitting units 100, such as units placed in an array 2208 on the tile light emitter 500 or substrate 204. can do. Thus, the tile illuminator 500 or array 2208 can be used to display not only various resolution video effects, but also other animation effects, graphics, character scrolling effects, and various color changing effects.

  Referring to FIG. 71, in some aspects, a lighting show configured using lighting system composer 5004 is compiled into a simple script implemented as an XML document. This XML document can be sent quickly over an Ethernet connection. In some aspects, the XML document is read by the XML parser of the lighting system engine 5008. Using an XML document to send a luminescent show allows the published show to be combined with other types of programming instructions. For example, the XML document type definition includes not only the XML instructions for the lighting show executed by the lighting system engine 5008, but also other computer systems such as audio systems, entertainment systems, multimedia systems, video systems, audio systems, Sound effect system, smoke effect system, vapor effect system, dry ice effect, another light emitting system, security system, information system, sensor feedback system, sensor system, browser, network, server, wireless computer system, building information technology system, or XML containing instructions for the communication system can be included.

  That is, the methods and systems provided herein include providing a lighting system engine that relays control signals to a plurality of lighting systems, where the lighting system engine plays a show. The lighting system engine 5008 may include a processor, data functions, operating system, and communication functions. The lighting system engine 5008 may be configured to communicate with a DALI or DMX emission control function. In some aspects, the lighting system engine communicates with a lighting control function that operates on a serial communication protocol. In some aspects, the light emission control function is a power / data source for the light emitting unit 102.

  In some aspects, the lighting system engine 5008 performs a lighting show downloaded from the lighting system composer 5004. In some aspects, the show is delivered as an XML file from the lighting system composer 5004 to the lighting system engine 5008. In some aspects, the show is distributed over the network to the lighting system engine. In some aspects, the show is delivered over the Ethernet function. In some aspects, the show is distributed over a wireless function. In some aspects, the show is delivered over the Firewire function. In some aspects, the show is distributed over the Internet.

  In some aspects, a light show configured by light system composer 5004 may include an XML document output by light system composer along with other files from another computer system, for example, XML elements related to the other computer. It can be combined with things including an XML parser to parse. In some aspects, light shows can be combined by adding additional elements to the XML file that contains the light show. In some aspects, other computer systems include a browser, and the browser user can edit the light show generated by the light show composer by using the browser to edit the XML file. In some aspects, the lighting system engine 5008 includes a server that can receive data over the Internet. In some aspects, the lighting system engine 5008 is capable of processing multiple zones of the lighting system, and each zone of the lighting system has a different mapping. In some aspects, the plurality of zones are synchronized using the lighting system engine 5008 internal clock.

The methods and systems included herein include methods and systems that provide a mapping function 5002 of a lighting system manager 5000 for mapping a plurality of lighting system locations. In some aspects, the mapping system discovers lighting systems in the environment using the techniques described above. In some aspects, the mapping function then maps the lighting system to a two-dimensional space, such as using a graphic user interface.
In some aspects of the present invention, the lighting system engine 5008 includes a personal computer system having a Linux operating system. In some embodiments, the lighting system engine is associated with a bridge to a DMX or DALI system.
One aspect of the DirectLight API described above is shown on the page below.

Programming interface for controlling lighting
Important points to read first 1) The sample program and Real Light Setup cannot be executed until the DirectLight.dll COM object is registered in Windows (registered trademark) on your computer. This installation includes two short programs wisely named Register DirectLight.exe and Unregister DirectLight.exe.
2) DirectLight assumes that SmartJack is connected to COM1. This assumption can be changed by editing the DMX_INTERFACE_NUM value in the “mylights.h” file.

About DirectLight Configuration Applications (e.g., 3D drawing games) can generate virtual lights within their 3D world. DirectLight can map these lights onto a real-world Color Kinetics full-spectrum digital light with color and brightness settings corresponding to the location and color of the virtual light in the game.
DirecLight has three general forms of virtual lights.
Dynamic light The most common form of virtual light has a position and a color value. The light is movable and its color can be changed as often as necessary. Dynamic lights can represent a glowing cosmic nebula, a rocket flash, a yellow spotlight that flies over the company logo, or the bright red eyes of a greedy mutant ice-weasel.

Ambient light is stationary and has only color values. Sun, overhead room lights, or general color wash are examples of ambient. You can have as many dynamic lights and indicator lights as you need, but you can own only one ambient light source (this is the number of ambient color values).
Indicator lights can only be assigned to certain real world lights. Indicator lights always affect a single real world light, whereas dynamic lights can change position and thus affect different real-world lights. The indicator is intended to give the user feedback, for example shield status, threat location, etc., apart from lighting.

All these lights can change color as often as necessary.
Normally, the user sets the real world light. You can create the my_lights.h file in the DirectLight GUI Setup program and edit it accordingly. The API loads the settings from the my_lights.h file, which is where the real world lights are located, their type, and what kind of virtual light (dynamic, ambient, indicator, or a combination) affects them Including all of the information about what to give.
Virtual lights can be generated static and can be generated dynamically in real time. DirectLights runs in its own thread. DirectLights also always replaces new values during the light so they don't sleep. After updating the virtual lights, the user sends them to the real world lights with a single function call. DirectLight handles all mapping from the virtual world to the real world.

If the application already uses a 3D light source, the DirectLight implementation is very easy because the light source can be mapped 1: 1 onto the Virtual_Light class.
A common setting for action games is one overhead lamp that is set primarily to ambient, some that are set dynamically, mainly behind the monitor, side and surrounding lights, and perhaps some near the screen set to indicators. Has a small light.
Ambient light creates mood and atmosphere. Dynamic lights around the player give feedback about things happening around the player: weapons, environmental objects, explosions, etc. Indicator lights give instant feedback about game parameters: shield level, danger, discovery, etc.

An effect (LightignFX) can be connected to a light, which overrides or emphasizes dynamic lighting. In Star Trek, for example, when Armada hits Red Alert, all the lights in the room pulsate red and temporarily replace all other color information they have.
Other effects can be enhanced. For example, the explosion effect is played back as time passes by connecting to one virtual light. So instead of having to always tweak the value to fade the fireball, create a virtual light, start connecting the effect, and leave the light until the effect ends. I can keep it.
Real lights have a coordinate system based on the room in which they are installed. Based on the person sitting in front of the computer monitor, the head is the origin. X increases in the right direction, Y increases in the ceiling direction, and Z increases in the monitor direction.

Virtual lights are completely free to use any coordinate system. There are several different modes for mapping virtual lights to real lights. By aligning the virtual light coordinate system axis with the real light coordinate system, things become much easier.
The write position can take any real value. The DirectLight GUI setup program constrains the light to within 1 meter from the center of the room, but this value can be changed manually as desired. But first, read about Projection Types. Certain modes require that the real and virtual world coordinate systems have the same scale.

start
Install DirectLight SDK
When you run the Setup.exe file, the following are installed:
Three dll files in / Windows® / System /, one for DirectLight and two for low-level communication with Real World Light via DMX.

時間ライブラリをコンパイル：

およびコンフィグレーションファイル：

In the folder where DirecLight is installed: Visual C ++ project file, source code and header file:

Compile time library:

And configuration files:

また、このディレクトリには、このドキュメンテーションおよび次のサブホルダが含まれる：
FX_Librariesは、DirectLightsからアクセス可能なライティング効果を含む。
Real Light Setupは、リアルライトについての情報を変更するためのグラフィカルエディタを含む。
Sample Programは、DirectLightの使い方を示す、豊富なコメント付きのプログラムを含む。 my_lights.h is referenced by both DirectLight and DirectLight GUI Setup.exe. my_lights.h refers to light_definitions.h. Other files are referenced only by DirectLight GUI Setup. Both the DLL and Setup programs use registry entries to find these files:

This directory also contains this documentation and the following subholders:
FX_Libraries contains lighting effects accessible from DirectLights.
Real Light Setup includes a graphical editor for changing information about real lights.
Sample Program includes a program with a wealth of comments that show how to use DirectLight.

DirectLight COM
The DirectLight DLL implements a COM object that encapsulates DirectLight functionality. The DirectLight object has a DirectLight interface that is used by the client program.
In order to use a DirectLight COM object, the machine that uses the object needs to register a DirectLight COM server (see the important note to read first above). If you don't do this, the Microsoft COM real-time library will not know where to find your COM server (essentially you need the path of DirecgLight.dll).

To access a DirectLight COM object from a program (called a client), first of all, directlight.h containing the definition of the DirectLight COM interface (among others) and various UID definitions for the object and interface (details below) ), DirectLight_i.c must be included.
Before using the COM server, you must first initialize the COM runtime. To do this, call the CoInitialize function with a NULL parameter.
CoInitialize (NULL);
For the current purpose, you don't need to worry about this return value.

CLSID_CdirectLightはDirectLightオブジェクトの識別子（directlight_i.cに定義）であり、IID_IDirectLightは、DirectLightインターフェイスの識別子であり、またpDirectLightは、インスタンス化したばかりのオブジェクト上へのDirectLightインターフェイスのインプリメントに対するポインタである。pDirectLightポインタは、残りのクライアントが使用して、DirectLight機能にアクセスすることになる。 Next, you need to instantiate the DirectLight object. To do this, you need to call the CoCreateInstance function. This creates an instance of the DierctLight object and gives a pointer to the DirectLight interface.

CLSID_CdirectLight is the DirectLight object identifier (defined in directlight_i.c), IID_IDirectLight is the DirectLight interface identifier, and pDirectLight is a pointer to the implementation of the DirectLight interface on the object just instantiated. The pDirectLight pointer will be used by the remaining clients to access DirectLight functionality.

If there is an error returned by CoCreateInstance, most are REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG, which indicates that the class is not registered on your machine. If this is the case, make sure you have run the Register DirectLight program and try again.
When organizing your application, you need to include the following three lines:

A COM interface must be opened when you are finished using it. Otherwise, the object will remain in memory after the application ends.
CoFreeUnusedLibraries () requests COM to remove the used DirectLight factory (the server that created the COM object when calling CoCreateInstance ()) from memory, and CoUninitialize () stops the COM library.

これらの値の説明については、Direct Light Class内のProjection Typesを参照されたい。 DirectLight Class
The DirectLight class contains the core functionality of the API. This includes the ability to set the ambient light value, the global brightness (gamma) of all lights, and the ability to add and remove virtual lights.
Types :

For description of these values, refer to Projection Types in Direct Light Class.

これらの値についての説明は、Direct Light ClassのLight TypesまたはDirectLight GUI Setupのオンラインヘルプを参照されたい。

これらの値は、１つの色から別に色にフェーディングするときに、ライティング効果の異なる曲線を表す。

Refer to the online help for Direct Light Class Light Types or DirectLight GUI Setup for an explanation of these values.

These values represent curves with different lighting effects when fading from one color to another.

Set_Ambient_Lightファンクションは、アンビエントライトの赤色、緑色、および青色の値を、ファンクションに送りこまれる値に設定する。これらの値は、０〜MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESSの範囲にある。アンビエントライトは、アプリケーションにおける、定数または「室内灯（Room Lights）」を表現するように設計されている。アンビエントライトは、任意またはすべての、リアルワールドライトに送ることができる。各リアルワールドライトには、任意の割合のアンビエントライトを含めることができる。

Stir_Lightsは、DirectLight内に作成されたライトバッファに基づいて、ライト情報をリアルワールドライトに送る。DirectLight DLLは、ユーザーのためにライトの攪拌（stirring）を処理する。通常、このファンクションを、アプリケーションはコールしない。 Public Member Functions :

The Set_Ambient_Light function sets the red, green, and blue values of the ambient light to the values that are sent to the function. These values are in the range of 0 to MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESS. Ambient lights are designed to represent constants or “room lights” in an application. Ambient lights can be sent to any or all real world lights. Each real world light can include any proportion of ambient light.

Stir_Lights sends light information to the real world light based on the light buffer created in DirectLight. The DirectLight DLL handles light stirring for the user. Normally, this function is not called by the application.

Submit_Virtual_Lightは、Virtual_Lightインスタンスを作成する。その仮想位置は、送り込まれる最初の３つの値で指定され、その色は、２番目の３つの値で指定される。この位置は、アプリケーション空間座標を使用しなければならない。色に対する値は、０〜MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESSの範囲にある。このファンクションは、作成されたライトにポインタを戻す。

Virtual_Lightインスタンスにポインタが与えられると、Remove_Virtual_Lightが、バーチャルライトを消去する。

Submit_Virtual_Light creates a Virtual_Light instance. The virtual position is specified by the first three values that are sent, and the color is specified by the second three values. This position must use application space coordinates. Values for colors are in the range 0-MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESS. This function returns a pointer to the created light.

When a pointer is given to a Virtual_Light instance, Remove_Virtual_Light erases the virtual light.

Set_Gammaファンクションは、Direct Lightデータ構造のガンマ値を設定する。この値は、ライトの全体値を制御するのに使用し、すべてのバーチャルライトは、リアルライトに投射される前に、ガンマ値を乗じられる。

Set_Cutoff_Rangeは、カメラからのカットオフ距離を設定する。この距離を越えると、バーチャルライトは、リアルワールドライトに影響を与えないことになる。バーチャルライトが、遠距離からリアルワールドライトに影響を与えるようにするには、高い値を設定する。値が小さい場合には、バーチャルライトは、何らかの影響を有するためにはカメラに近くなくてはならない。この値は、アプリケーション空間座標でなくてはならない。

The Set_Gamma function sets the gamma value of the Direct Light data structure. This value is used to control the overall value of the light, and all virtual lights are multiplied by the gamma value before being projected to the real light.

Set_Cutoff_Range sets a cutoff distance from the camera. Beyond this distance, the virtual light will not affect the real world light. To make the virtual light affect the real world light from a long distance, set a high value. If the value is small, the virtual light must be close to the camera to have some effect. This value must be an application space coordinate.

Clear_All_Lightsは、すべてのリアルライトを遮断する。

Project_All_Lightsは、ガンマ、アンビエントおよびダイナミックの寄与、位置および投射モード、カットオフ角度およびカットオフ範囲を考慮して、すべてのバーチャルライトの、すべてのリアルワールドライトへの影響を計算し、その値をすべてのリアルワールドライトに送る。

Clear_All_Lights blocks all real lights.

Project_All_Lights calculates the effect of all virtual lights on all real world lights, taking into account gamma, ambient and dynamic contributions, position and projection mode, cut-off angle and cut-off range. Send to Real World Light.

インジケータは、構成ファイル（my_lights.h）を介して、任意のリアルワールドライトに割り当てることができる。各インジケータは、固有の正の整数ＩＤを有する必要がある。Set_Indicator_Colorは、which_indicatorによって割り当てられた色を、指定された赤色、緑色、および青色の値に変更する。Set_Indicator_Colorが、存在しないインジケータidでコールされる場合には、何も発生しないことになる。ユーザーは、どのライトが、インジケータであるかを指定するが、インジケータであるライトも、なおアンビエントライトおよびダイナミックライトによって影響されることに留意されたい。

指定された値を有するインジケータにポインタを戻す。

Indicators can be assigned to any real world light via the configuration file (my_lights.h). Each indicator must have a unique positive integer ID. Set_Indicator_Color changes the color assigned by which_indicator to the specified red, green, and blue values. If Set_Indicator_Color is called with a non-existent indicator id, nothing will happen. Note that the user specifies which lights are indicators, but the lights that are indicators are still affected by ambient and dynamic lights.

Returns a pointer to the indicator with the specified value.

リアルライトの数を戻す。

ディレクトリを調べて、my_lights.hファイルへのパスを見つける。

レジストリが決定するデフォールト場所から、my_lights.hファイルをロードする。DirectLightは、このファイルの情報に基づいて、リアルライトのリストを作成する。

Returns the number of real lights.

Examine the directory and find the path to the my_lights.h file.

Load the my_lights.h file from the default location determined by the registry. DirectLight creates a list of real lights based on the information in this file.

実世界に新規のリアルライトを作成する。通常、DirectLightは、開始時に、my_lights.hファイルからリアルライト情報をロードする。

Create a new real light in the real world. Normally, DirectLight loads real light information from the my_lights.h file when it starts.

リアルライトのインスタンスを安全に消去する。

アンビエントライトにポインタを戻す。

リアルライトのリストが空である場合に、真（true）を戻し、そうでない場合には偽（false）を戻す。

Safely erase real light instances.

Returns a pointer to the ambient light.

Returns true if the list of real lights is empty, otherwise returns false.

２５５として定義。

現在、このライトに接続されている効果のリスト。 Light class
Ambient light is defined as light. The light class is the parent class of Virtual Lights and Real Lights. Member variables:

Defined as 255.

A list of effects currently connected to this light.

すべてのライトは、色を有する必要がある！ColorRGBは、ColorRGB.hに定義されている。

新規のライティング効果を、このバーチャルライトに接続する。

古いライティング効果を、バーチャルライトから切断する。

All lights need to have a color! ColorRGB is defined in ColorRGB.h.

Connect new lighting effects to this virtual light.

Disconnect the old lighting effect from the virtual light.

−１と定義。
char m_identifier [100]は、ライトの名称である（例えば、「オーバヘッド」または「コーブライト」）。デバッギングツールとしての使用を除いて、DirectLightによって使用されない。 Real Lights
Real Lights inherits from the Light class. Real light represents real world light. Member variables:

Definition as -1.
char m_identifier [100] is the name of the light (for example, “overhead” or “cove light”). Not used by DirectLight, except for use as a debugging tool.

int DMX_port is a unique non-negative integer that represents the channel from which a given light receives information. DMX information is sent in a buffer with 3 bytes (red, green, and blue) for each light. (DMX_port * 3) is actually an indicator of the red value of the specified light. The DirectLight DMX buffer is 512 bytes, so DirectLight can support about 170 lights. Large buffers can cause performance problems, so avoid using large DMX_port numbers if possible.
Light_Type m_Type describes different models of Color Kinetics lights. Currently not used except when DirectLight GUI Setup displays icons.

float_m_add_ambient Amount of ambient light contribution to this light color range 0-1
float_m_add_dynamic Dynamic light contribution amount range for this light color 0 to 1
float_m_gamma is the overall brightness of this light. Range 0-1.
float m_cutoff_angle determines the sensitivity of this light to the surrounding virtual lights. A large value will receive information from most virtual lights. At relatively small values, it will only benefit from virtual lights that are in the same arc as the real light.

Projection_Type m_projection_type defines the state in which the virtual light is mapped onto the real light.
SCALE_BY_VIRTUAL_DISTANCE_TO_CAMERA_ONLY: This real light will receive a contribution from the virtual light based only on the distance from the origin of the virtual coordinate system to the position of the virtual light. The virtual light contribution decreases linearly as the distance from the origin approaches the cutoff range.
SCALE_BY_DISTANCE_AND_ANGLE: This real light receives contributions from the virtual light based on the distance calculated above and the angular difference between the real light and the virtual light. The virtual light contribution decreases linearly as the distance from the origin approaches the cutoff range and the angle approaches the cutoff angle.
SCALE_BY_DISTANCE_VIRTUAL_TO_REAL: This real light will receive a contribution from the virtual light based on the 3-space distance from the real light to the virtual light. In this mode, it is assumed that the real coordinate system and the virtual coordinate system are the same. The virtual light contribution decreases linearly as the real-to-virtual distance approaches the cutoff range.

int m_indicator_number：インジケータが負の場合は、ライトはインジケータではない。それが負でない場合には、そのインジケータ番号に送られる色だけを受け取る。

int m_indicator_number: If the indicator is negative, the light is not an indicator. If it is not negative, only the color sent to that indicator number is received.

MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESSは、ライトがとることのできる最大値である。ほとんどのColor Kineticsライトの場合には、この値は２２５である。ライトは、０から始まる範囲を有すると仮定する。 Virtual Lights
Virtual Lights represent light sources inside a game or other real-time application that are mapped onto real-world Color Kinetics lights. Virtual Lights can be created, moved, erased, and color changed as often as possible in the application.

MAX_LIGHT_BRIGHTNESS is the maximum value that the light can take. For most Color Kinetics lights, this value is 225. Assume that the light has a range starting from zero.

Set_Colorファンクションは、バーチャルライトの赤色、緑色および青色の値を、ファンクションに送り込まれる値に設定する。

Set_Positionファンクションは、バーチャルライトの位置値を、ファンクションに送り込まれる値に設定する。この位置は、アプリケーション空間座標を使用しなくてはならない。

ライトの位置を取得する。

The Set_Color function sets the red, green and blue values of the virtual light to the values sent to the function.

The Set_Position function sets the position value of the virtual light to the value sent to the function. This position must use application space coordinates.

Get the position of the light.

−１として定義。

効果を開始または停止する時間、これはバーチャル値である。

個々の効果は、全体時間に基づいて、その再生時間を倍率変更する。 Lighting FX
Lighting FX is a time series effect that can be connected to real or virtual lights, or indicators, and even ambient lights. A lighting effect can have other effects as children, in which case the children are played sequentially.

Defined as -1.

The time to start or stop the effect, this is a virtual value.

Each effect scales its playback time based on the total time.

TRUEが送り込まれた場合には、この効果は、実世界時間を使用し、Stir_Lightがコールされるのと同じ頻度で、それ自体を更新する。FALSEが送り込まれた場合には、この効果は、アプリケーション時間を使用し、Apply-FXがコールされる度に、更新する。

TRUEが送り込まれた場合には、Stir_Lightがコールされるときに、この効果は、その値を外挿する。

この効果を、送り込まれたライトに接続する。

If TRUE is sent, this effect uses real-world time and updates itself as often as Stir_Light is called. If FALSE is sent, this effect uses application time and updates each time Apply-FX is called.

If TRUE is sent, this effect extrapolates that value when Stir_Light is called.

Connect this effect to the incoming light.

この効果の、ライトへの寄与を除去する。remove_FX_from_lightが真であれば、この効果も、ライトから切断される。
上記のファンクションは、バーチャルライト、インジケータライト（そのインジケータへのポインタ、またはその番号によって関係づけられる）、アンビエントライト、およびすべてのリアルライトをもたらすバージョンとしても存在する。

効果を開始する。ループが真である場合には、それが終了した後に効果は再び開始する。

The contribution of this effect to light is removed. If remove_FX_from_light is true, this effect is also disconnected from the light.
The above functions also exist as versions that yield a virtual light, an indicator light (related by a pointer to that indicator, or its number), an ambient light, and all real lights.

Start the effect. If the loop is true, the effect starts again after it ends.

効果を破壊することなく、停止させる。

効果の再生を、それが時間切れであるので、ループさせるか、または停止する。

この効果に対して、どの程度のゲーム時間が過ぎたかを変更する。

この効果に対して、どの程度の実時間が過ぎたかを見出す。

Stop without destroying the effect.

Loop or stop playing the effect because it is out of time.

For this effect, how much game time has passed is changed.

Find out how much real time has passed for this effect.

実時間あたりどの程度のアプリケーション時間をこれまでに費やしたかを外挿することに基づいてFX時間を変更する。

これは基本ライティングファンクションである。LightingFXが継承されるとき、このファンクションは、ライトの色値を時間経過とともに実際に変更するすべての重要な作業を行う。ユーザーは自分の値を既存のライト値に加える、または既存の値を自分の値で置き換える、またはその２つの任意の組み合わせを、選択できることに留意されたい。このようにして、ライティング効果（Lighting effects）は、既存のライトに優先実施するか、または単にそれらに取ってかわる。

Change the FX time based on extrapolating how much application time you have spent so far per real time.

This is the basic lighting function. When LightingFX is inherited, this function does all the important work of actually changing the color value of the light over time. Note that the user can choose to add his value to an existing light value, replace an existing value with his value, or any combination of the two. In this way, Lighting effects either take precedence over existing lights or simply replace them.

すべての効果の時間を更新する。

この効果を、適当なすべてのバーチャルライト、アンビエントライト、およびインジケータライトに適用する。

それぞれの効果を、適当なすべてのバーチャルライト、アンビエントライト、およびインジケータライトに適用する。

Update the time of all effects.

Apply this effect to all appropriate virtual lights, ambient lights, and indicator lights.

Apply each effect to all appropriate virtual, ambient, and indicator lights.

この効果を、単一リアルライトに適用する。

この効果が、子効果を有する場合には、次の１つを開始する。

This effect is applied to a single real light.

If this effect has a child effect, it starts one of the following:

この効果が有する子効果のリストの終わりに、新規の子効果を追加する。timeshareは、効果を再生する合計時間の、この子の取り分である。timeshareは、合計が１となる必要はなく、合計シェアは、効果の合計実再生時間に一致するように倍率変更されている。

指定された効果の親となる。

この効果およびそのすべての子に、影響を与えるライトのリストを継承させる。

Add a new child effect to the end of the list of child effects this effect has. timeshare is this child's share of the total time to play the effect. The timeshare does not need to be 1 in total, and the total share is scaled to match the total actual playback time of the effect.

The parent of the specified effect.

Have this effect and all its children inherit the list of lights that affect it.

Configuration File
The file my_lights.h contains information about real world lights and is loaded into the DirectLight system at the start. The files my_lights.h and light_definitions.h must be included in the same directory as the application using DirectLights.
my_lights.h is created and edited by the DirectLight GUI Setup program. For more detailed information on how to use the program, please refer to the online help in the program.

Next, there is an example of my_lights.h file.

This example file is taken from our office, which has a light setup around the computer with the following lights (relative to the person sitting in front of the monitor): One overhead (mostly ambient light); one on each side of the head (left and right): one behind the head; three along the top, left and right sides of the monitor in front of us .
Each line in the my_lights.h file represents Real_Light. Each Real_Light instance represents a surprise surprise, one real world light.
The lower lights on the left and right of the monitor are indicators 0 and 2, and the central light on the left side of the monitor is indicator 1.

The position value is in meters. Z is the direction to enter / exit the surface of the monitor. X is the vertical direction in the plane of the monitor. Y is a horizontal direction in the monitor plane.
MAX_LIGHTS is a maximum of 170 for each MDX world. Each DMX world is typically a single physical connection (eg, OCM1) to a computer. If MAX_LIGHTS is large, the response of the light will be slow, because MAX_LIGHTS determines the size of the buffer sent to DMX (MAX_LIGHTS ^* 3). Obviously, the larger the buffer, the longer it takes to send.
OVERALL_GAMMA can take a value between 0 and 1. This value can be read during DirectLights and changed during execution. This represents the end of the DirectLight API.

  While this invention has been disclosed in connection with the embodiments shown and described above, various equivalents, modifications and improvements will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be encompassed herein. is there.

It is a figure which shows an example of the light emission unit which functions as a device in the light emission environment by 1 aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows the light emission system provided with several light emission units and a central controller. 1 is a schematic diagram of a programming device for programming a light emitting unit in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the various structures of the light emission unit by this invention. 1 is a view showing a tile light emitting device according to the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 2 illustrates a wall mounting method and system for a tile light emitter aspect of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a wall mounted rail system for a tile lighting system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electromechanical connection between units of a tile lighting system. It is a figure which shows the magnetic connection between two tile light emission units. It is a figure which shows the bracket system which connects a tile light emission unit.

It is a figure which shows a part of light emission unit controller containing the electric power detection module by 1 aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the circuit implementation | achievement form of the light emission unit controller including the electric power detection module by 1 aspect of this invention. FIG. 2 shows a bracket system for connecting tile lighting systems and for attaching the tile lighting system to a wall or other surface. FIG. 2 shows a system for generating a halo effect around a tile light emitting unit. It is a figure which shows the edge irradiation aspect inside a tile light-emitting body, and the illumination outer cover of a tile light-emitting body.

It is a figure which shows the embodiment outside the diffusion panel for tile light emission units. FIG. 6 shows an additional embodiment outside the diffusion panel of the light emitting unit. FIG. 2 shows a tile light emitting unit designed to be coplanar with a flat surface. FIG. 6 shows additional form factors for a tile lighting unit designed to be co-planar on a flat surface. FIG. 6 shows an array or grid of addressable light emitting units that can form the interior of a tile light emitting unit.

FIG. 6 illustrates another aspect of an array or grid of addressable light emitting units that can form the interior of a tile light emitting unit. It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the spreading | diffusion element arrange | positioned in proximity to an LED light emission unit in order to diffuse light in a tile light emission unit. It is a figure which shows the Penrose tile structure for light emitting units. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing elements for authoring a light emission control signal. It is the schematic which shows the element which produces | generates the light emission control signal from an animation function and a light-emitting body management function.

It is a figure which shows the configuration file data relevant to the light emission system in a certain environment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a virtual representation of an environment using a computer screen. It is a figure which shows the expression of an environment provided with the light emission system which projects light on the part of an environment. It is the schematic which shows the propagation of the effect through a light emission system. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of using an imaging device to locate a plurality of lighting systems in an environment.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating steps for interacting with a graphical user interface to generate a lighting effect in an environment. It is the schematic which shows the light emission system which transmits the data produced | generated by the network transmitter. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating steps for generating control signals for a lighting system using object oriented programming techniques. It is a figure which shows the structure of the multi-tile light emission unit in a self-configuration network. It is a figure which shows the substantially spherical light emission unit formed with a some planar circuit board light emission unit.

FIG. 36 is an enlarged view of elements of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 36 shows a substantially triangular circuit board element designed to mate with other circuit board elements to form the substantially spherical light emitting unit of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a Platonic solid that can be formed from polygons and can include a light emitting unit configuration according to the principles of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the network structure for several light emission units. It is a figure which shows the several tile light-emitting body connected by the ultra high-speed serial bus.

FIG. 6 shows a set of LEDs arranged at different proximity to a diffuser. It is a direct view of the LED board on which the several light emitting element is arrange | positioned. It is a figure which shows the LED board by which the diffuser is arrange | positioned in the vicinity at a certain angle with respect to the surface of a board | substrate. FIG. 3 shows aspects of different shapes and types of materials that can be used as a diffuser. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a fastening function for a light emitting node of the methods and systems described herein.

It is a figure which shows the pushing fastening mechanism with respect to the light emission node. It is a figure which shows the three-dimensional and complicated surface of a diffuser. FIG. 3 shows a hemispherical diffuser with graphic elements thereon. FIG. 5 shows the overlay of material on an array of light emitting nodes, including transparent material and translucent material. FIG. 6 illustrates the overlay of a logo or other graphic element on an array of light emitting nodes.

It is a figure which shows the regular plane array of LED on a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the irregular pattern of LED in an arrangement | sequence. It is a figure which shows the strip | belt structure of the three-dimensional Mobius of the arrangement | sequence of LED. It is a figure which shows the grid for hold | maintaining a light emission node. It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the grid holding the light emission node comprised so that a picture might be represented.

It is a figure which shows the string light emission node provided with a short lens cap. It is a figure which shows the string light emission node provided with an elongate lens cap. It is a figure which shows a string light emission node without a lens cap. It is a figure which shows the CAD drawing of a string light emission node. It is a figure which shows the CAD drawing of the string light emission node in an aspect without a lens.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a tile light emitter with a detection user interface. FIG. 6 shows a surface on which a tile light emitting unit can be placed or a tile light emitting unit can be integrated. It is a figure which shows the aspect of the tile light-emitting body for lighting a water environment. It is a figure which shows a circuit board provided with the arrangement | sequence of a light source. It is a figure which shows another aspect of a circuit board provided with the arrangement | sequence of a light source.

FIG. 66 is a rear view of the printed circuit board of FIGS. 64 and 65. It is a figure which shows the additional structure for the light emission unit. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence produced | generated from a some node. It is a figure which shows a light emission system management function. It is a figure which shows a light emission system management function.

It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the networked light emission system management function. It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the light emission system by which a control command is relayed as an XML script.

Claims (124)

Multiple addressable light emitting units arranged in a grid,
A tile lighting system comprising: a controller for controlling lighting from the addressable light emitting unit; and a light diffusing cover for covering the grid.   The system of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing cover comprises a phosphorescent material.   The system of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing cover is substantially translucent.   The system of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing cover is provided with a geometric shape.   The system of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing cover is provided with an irregular pattern.   The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to be placed adjacent to a similar lighting system in a tile arrangement.   The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the lighting unit is controlled using a string light protocol.   The system of claim 1, further comprising an authoring system for authoring effects on the tile lighting system.   The system of claim 1, wherein the effect can be coordinated with another similar lighting system.   The system of claim 1, disposed in an architectural environment.   The system of claim 1, disposed on a building exterior. A plurality of LED light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, the LED light emitting units generating mixed light of different colors in response to a control signal, and a diffuser that receives light from the light emitting units; Tile light emitter.   The tile light of claim 12, wherein the diffuser comprises a phosphorescent material.   The tile light of claim 12, wherein the diffuser is substantially translucent.   13. A tile light of claim 12, wherein the diffuser is provided with a geometric shape.   The tile light of claim 12, wherein the diffuser is provided with an irregular pattern.   The tile light of claim 12, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   The tile light of claim 17, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   The tile light of claim 17, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   18. A tile light of claim 17, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to an input video signal.   The tile light of claim 12, wherein the tile light is disposed in an architectural environment.   The tile light-emitting body according to claim 12, wherein the tile light-emitting body is disposed on a building outer surface. A tile light emitter, comprising: a plurality of linear LED light emitting units disposed around a periphery of a substantially rectangular housing; and a diffuser for diffusing light from the light emitting units.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the diffuser comprises a phosphorescent material.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the diffuser is substantially translucent.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the diffuser has a geometric shape.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the diffuser is provided with an irregular pattern.   24. The tile light of claim 23, further comprising a reflector within the housing for providing a constant level of light output to different portions of the diffuser.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the housing is divided into a plurality of cells.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the cells are rectangular.   24. A tile light of claim 23, wherein the cells are triangular.   24. The tile light of claim 23, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   The tile light of claim 32, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   The tile light of claim 32, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   24. A tile light of claim 23, disposed in an architectural environment.   24. The tile light of claim 23, disposed on a building exterior. A series of LED-based light emitting units, each light emitting unit being configured to respond to data addressed thereto in a serial addressing protocol and configured as a flexible string; and A light emitting system including a fastening function for holding the flexible string in a predetermined configuration.   38. The lighting system of claim 37, wherein the fastening function is a substantially linear channel for holding the flexible string.   38. The light emitting system of claim 37, wherein the fastening function holds the flexible strings in an array.   38. The light emitting system of claim 37, further comprising an authoring system for authoring effects for the light emitting system.   41. The light emitting system of claim 40, wherein the authoring system is an object oriented authoring function.   42. The light emitting system of claim 41, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   40. The lighting system of claim 39, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to an input video signal.   40. The light emitting system of claim 39, wherein the array is arranged in an architectural environment.   40. The light emitting system of claim 39, wherein the array is located on the building exterior.   A module for a lighting system comprising a series of LED-based light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, each light emitting unit being configured to respond to data addressed thereto in a serial addressing protocol Component.   48. The component of claim 47, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   49. The component of claim 48, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   49. The component of claim 48, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to a graphical representation of the authoring function.   49. The component of claim 48, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to an input video signal.   48. The component of claim 47, wherein the circuit board is a flexible circuit board.   48. The component of claim 47, wherein the circuit board is a printed circuit board.   48. The component of claim 47, wherein the component is disposed in an architectural environment.   48. The component of claim 47, wherein the array is disposed on a building exterior.   A plurality of module components, each module component including a series of LED-based light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, each light emitting unit receiving data addressed to it in a serial addressing protocol; A lighting system configured to respond.   57. The system of claim 56, wherein the module components are arranged adjacent to each other to form a large array of module components.   57. The system of claim 56, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   59. The system of claim 58, wherein the authoring function is an object oriented authoring function.   59. The system of claim 58, wherein the effect displayed on the large array corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   59. The system of claim 58, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to an input video signal.   59. The system of claim 58, wherein the array is disposed in an architectural environment.   59. The system of claim 58, wherein the array is located on a building exterior. Providing a plurality of addressable light emitting units arranged in a grid;
A method for providing a tile lighting system, comprising: providing a controller for controlling illumination from the addressable light emitting unit; and covering the grid with a light diffusing cover.   The method of claim 64, wherein the light diffusing cover comprises a phosphorescent material.   The method of claim 64, wherein the light diffusing cover is substantially translucent.   The method of claim 64, wherein the light diffusing cover is provided with a geometric shape.   The method of claim 64, wherein the light diffusing cover is provided with an irregular pattern.   68. The method of claim 64, wherein the lighting system is configured to be positioned proximate to a similar lighting system in a tile arrangement.   65. The method of claim 64, wherein the light emitting unit is controlled using a string light protocol.   The method of claim 64, further comprising an authoring system for authoring effects on the tile lighting system.   68. The method of claim 64, wherein the lighting system can coordinate effects with another similar lighting system.   68. The method of claim 64, wherein the system is deployed in a building environment.   65. The method of claim 64, wherein the system is located on a building exterior. A plurality of LED light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, wherein the LED light emitting units that generate mixed light of different colors in response to a control signal are provided, and a diffuser that receives light from the light emitting units Providing a tile light emitter.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the diffuser comprises a phosphorescent material.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the diffuser is substantially translucent.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the diffuser is provided with a geometric shape.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the diffuser is provided with an irregular pattern.   76. The method of claim 75, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   81. The method of claim 80, wherein the authoring function is an object oriented authoring function.   81. The method of claim 80, wherein the effect displayed on the tile illuminant corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   81. The method of claim 80, wherein the effect displayed on the tile illuminant corresponds to an input video signal.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the tile illuminator is placed in an architectural environment.   76. The method of claim 75, wherein the tile light emitter is disposed on a building exterior. A plurality of LED light emitting units disposed around the periphery of a substantially rectangular housing, the LED light emitting units generating mixed light of different colors in response to a control signal, and light from the light emitting units A method for providing a tile illuminator, comprising providing a diffuser for receiving a light.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the diffuser comprises a phosphorescent material.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the diffuser is substantially translucent.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the diffuser is provided with a geometric shape.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the diffuser is provided with an irregular pattern.   90. The method of claim 86, further comprising a reflector within the housing for providing a constant level of light output to different portions of the diffuser.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the housing is divided into a plurality of cells.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the cell is rectangular.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the cell is a triangle.   90. The method of claim 86, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   96. The method of claim 95, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   96. The method of claim 95, wherein the effect displayed on the tile illuminant corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the tile light emitter is placed in an architectural environment.   90. The method of claim 86, wherein the tile light emitter is disposed on a building exterior. A series of LED-based light-emitting units, each light-emitting unit configured to respond to data addressed thereto with a serial addressing protocol and including the series of light-emitting units configured in a flexible string Providing light emission, and providing a fastening function to hold the flexible string in a predetermined configuration.   101. The light emitting method according to claim 100, wherein the fastening function is a substantially linear channel for holding the flexible string.   The light emitting method according to claim 100, wherein the fastening function holds the flexible strings in an array.   101. The light emitting method according to claim 100, further comprising an authoring system for authoring effects for the light emitting system.   104. The light emitting method according to claim 103, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   105. The light emitting method of claim 104, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   104. The light emitting method according to claim 103, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to an input video signal.   104. The light emitting method according to claim 103, wherein the array is arranged in a building environment.   104. The light emitting method according to claim 103, wherein the array is disposed on an outer surface of the building. A method for providing a module component for a lighting system comprising:
Providing a series of LED-based light emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, each light emitting unit being configured to respond to data addressed thereto with a serial addressing protocol, Method.   110. The method of claim 109, further comprising an authoring system for authoring effects for the lighting system.   111. The method of claim 110, wherein the authoring function is an object oriented authoring function.   111. The method of claim 110, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to a graphical representation of the authoring function.   111. The method of claim 110, wherein the effect displayed thereon corresponds to an input video signal.   110. The method of claim 109, wherein the circuit board is a flexible circuit board.   110. The method of claim 109, wherein the circuit board is a printed circuit board.   110. The method of claim 109, wherein the component is disposed in an architectural environment.   110. The component of claim 109, wherein the array is disposed on a building exterior.   Providing a plurality of module components, each module component including a series of LED-based light-emitting units arranged in an array on a circuit board, each light-emitting unit addressing it with a serial addressing protocol A method for providing a lighting system configured to be responsive to recorded data.   119. The method of claim 118, wherein the module components are placed adjacent to each other to form a large array of module components.   119. The method of claim 118, further comprising an authoring function for authoring effects for the lighting system.   121. The method of claim 120, wherein the authoring function is an object-oriented authoring function.   121. The method of claim 120, wherein the effect displayed on the large array corresponds to a graphic representation of the authoring function.   121. The method of claim 120, wherein the effect displayed on the array corresponds to an input video signal.   121. The method of claim 120, wherein the array is disposed in an architectural environment.   119. The method of claim 118, wherein the array is disposed on a building exterior.

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