Abstract:
Video buttons controlling stage lights. Each of the buttons includes a video part, which displays either video or an image that previews the function that is carried out by the button when it is pressed. The buttons can be full-color buttons that show full color videos. An array of buttons can be grouped together, so that the array can operate in different modes, one of which in which the array shows an overall display, and another of which in which the array shows a single function per button. Different technologies including analog switches, touch screens, and the like can be used.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/830,490, filed Jul. 12, 2006. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Stage lighting consoles, such as the Virtuoso® series of consoles, allow control of a number of different parameters on stage lights and other controllable devices. These remote lights may all be located at different locations. For example, the Virtuoso® console may allow control of  2000  multiple parameter luminaires via the DMX 512 control format, and control between 2000 and 10,000 cues per fixture, with multiple presets, effects, beam selects, macros, and snapshots, as well as other effects. 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary console  100 . The console includes many different controlling buttons, shown as  110 . Since multiple parameters and multiple luminaires may be controlled by these buttons, these buttons may be dynamically assigned to different parameters. The parameters controlled by the dynamically-assigned buttons should be viewable in some way. 
         [0004]    The console may include the main button area  110 , auxiliary areas such as  120 , and other areas. 
         [0005]    Control of digital lights and other digitally and/or electronically controllable lights may control various effects on the digital lights, including for example video, color, shape, and the like. The complex control of the digital lights allows control of many different functions. 
         [0006]    Touch screens are known, in which different areas of the touch screen can be used for different functions. However, touch screens typically provide no tactile response to a user. The so-called “feel” of a control board may be extremely important. While a designer or operator is looking at the stage, they want to be able to control by feel. Such is not possible in a conventional touch screen. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present application describes the use of buttons which can display information about the control which is currently assigned to the buttons. 
         [0008]    Embodiments describe buttons that may display pictures, video and the like. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary console layout; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  shows an embodiment with a solid-state video display mounted inside a button, where the display can show the function of the button; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment where the display moves as the button is actuated; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment where the display is fixed in position on the button mode; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show respectively nonemissive and emissive display systems used in this button embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment using multiple different buttons in an array; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrates an embodiment where the single display forms the video for multiple buttons; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 7C  illustrates an embodiment using a touchscreen for a video button. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The general structure and techniques, and more specific embodiments which can be used to effect different ways of carrying out the more general goals, are described herein. 
         [0019]    A first embodiment uses a solid-state display element in conjunction with any or all of a plurality of selectable buttons, such as any of the buttons in areas  110 ,  120  or  130 , in the console of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0020]    A first embodiment is shown in  FIG. 2 . Each module  200  forms one switch of an array of switches such as  110 . The module includes a switch housing  201 , surrounding a video module  205  which includes a video display element  210 . The video display element  210  can be a liquid crystal, light emitting diode, LCOS type device, or any other solid-state device which allows full color and full-motion display. The video display is located under a clear plastic window  215  that forms a top part of the housing. The plastic window  215  is movable as shown by the arrow  220 . 
         [0021]    A spring assembly  225  maintains the housing  201 , and the clear plastic window  215  in the up position. However, when the window  215  is depressed, it can be depressed against the force of the spring bias, into the downward position. A switch assembly  230  is placed in a location to be actuated by the movement of housing  201 , to cause an actuation. 
         [0022]    A circuit board  235  may be associated with the switch. The actuation is sensed by circuit board  235 . The video element  205  is also connected via a connection  240  to the circuit board  235 . The circuit board can be a convenient package for holding these elements. Alternatively, however, the elements may be attached directly to the housing  201 , or packaged in some other way. 
         [0023]    Also, mechanical elements shown as guide elements  226  hold or guide the walls forming the switch element into place. The guide elements  226  guide the housing  201  in its movements between the up and down positions. The housing  201  is typically normally spring biased in the up position, and pressed into the down position in order to actuate the switch assembly  230 . The actuation causes an indication of the actuation via the switch  230 , to the circuit board. 
         [0024]    A video driver  245  is connected via a connection  240  to the video display  210 , and allows displaying video information indicative of the current operation and/or function of the switch. 
         [0025]    The switch may be configured to control a specific function by operation of a remote controller, shown generically as CPU  250 . The CPU may operate according to a stored program to dynamically assign different switches to different functions. The CPU provides information to the switch  200  about the different image or other information that the switch will control. 
         [0026]    For example, if the switch  200  is configured to currently control a lamp to display a “cloud” type environment, then clouds may be displayed on the display  210 . The CPU  250 , which may be a media server, or any other kind of processing element, controls the driver  245  to make the appropriate display. CPU  250  is also connected to the circuit board  235 . CPU  250  receives an indication of switch actuation from the circuit board. 
         [0027]    The CPU and driver can control full color graphic video display  210 , and can control the display  210  to display, for example, video, gobos, colors, text, graphical signals, or thumbnail clips of video or short displays of video. These displayed items that are displayed on the video display  210  can be provided by the CPU  250 , especially when the CPU is or is connected to a media server. 
         [0028]    The switch may take a number of different forms.  FIG. 3  illustrates a first form, which may avoid or reduce a parallax error. In  FIG. 2 , the housing moves independently of the display, and hence the distance between the display  210  and the window  215  varies during pressing. In this embodiment, the display  210  is rigidly coupled to the housing  201 . The housing  201  moves up and down as a whole with the display  210  attached thereto. Hence, the distance between the display  210 , and the window  315  through which the display is viewed, is always substantially the same. 
         [0029]    A flexible cable, e.g., a ribbon cable  300  forms the connection between the display and the circuit board  235 . Although this describes a circuit board  235 , it should be understood that any kind of connection could be used in place of the circuit board. 
         [0030]    The display  210  moves with the button  301 , and therefore the display always has the same spatial relationship with the housing. This avoids parallax. 
         [0031]    In an alternative embodiment, shown in  FIG. 4 , the display  210  remains fixed in place e.g. by a pair of standoffs  400 ,  402  which may include connections therein. The housing  401  moves up and down. A switch  410  is connected to a portion of the housing via a spring bias connection. The housing  401  is usually spring biased into the upward position, and can be pressed down against the force of the spring  411 , to actuate the switch  410 . In this way, the movement of the housing  401  causes an actuation. This may be a simpler connection technique, but may cause some parallax during its operation. 
         [0032]    An alternative embodiment may move only the window  215 , without moving the rest of the walls of housing  201 . other alternatives may allow moving the housing in other directions other than downward; for example a housing may be moved up to actuate or maybe move side to side to actuate. 
         [0033]    In all of these above embodiments, since the switch device  230  is used, the tactile feel of the switch can be obtained when the housing is moved to actuate it. 
         [0034]      FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b    illustrate the two alternative embodiments for producing the display. These embodiments can be used with any of the embodiments of  FIGS. 2-4 . 
         [0035]    In a first embodiment, the display assembly  210  is formed of a transmissive device  500 , such as a liquid crystal device. A light source  505 , such as a white LED, produces light that illuminates the liquid crystal. Of course, multiple LEDs, such as an array of LEDs, may be used, or alternative light sources can be used. The light source can be powered by the same power line that produces the drive to the liquid crystal  500 . 
         [0036]    In a second embodiment, shown in  FIG. 5 b   , an emissive device is used as display  520 , such as an emissive LED, or other electronically emissive device. 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , buttons may be arranged in a two-dimensional rectangular array. According to an embodiment, each of the buttons of the array show what they are going to represent. Another embodiment, shown in  FIG. 6 , may have certain advantages. In this other embodiment, an array of buttons, such as  600 , are arranged together. A separate actuator  615 , which may be a button or some other actuator, commands a preview mode. When the preview mode is actuated, the buttons  600  through  609  collectively form a video wall-type device, where each button forms one pixel of an overall display. In this embodiment, there is preferably less distance between the buttons, for example the ratio of area between the buttons and area of the buttons may be 20% or less; more preferably 10% or less. 
         [0038]    Upon actuating the preview mode button  615 , a larger display is formed among all the buttons  600  through  609 . When not in preview mode, each button can individually show what it is going to represent. Each of those representations can represent a function of any of the buttons, or a function of the entire group of the buttons. 
         [0039]    An advantage of this embodiment, at least in one form, is that a single video driver  620  may be used for all the buttons  609 . In an embodiment where each button must produce its own display, it may be required that each button includes its own display driver. 
         [0040]    Another embodiment may avoid the use of multiple drivers. This system uses a single display part shown as  702  displaying multiple different sub images shown as  702 ,  704 . Each sub image is associated with an actuator, shown as  710 , which is co-located with the image. However, since a single screen  702  displays an entire image, only one video driver  725  is necessary. 
         [0041]      FIG. 7 b    illustrates a cross-section along the line  7 B- 7 B in  FIG. 7 a   . The screen,  700 , which may be a liquid crystal screen or a touch screen, forms the bottommost portion. An illumination part  720  may illuminate the screen  700  if it is not emissive. The display  700  is driven by a single display driver shown as  725 , which in turn receives information from a processor. A connection part, for example a PC board  730 , is located over the display  700 . PC board  730  includes different connections, for a movable spring device. The actuation device  740  is spring-loaded using springs and a tactile response mechanism  745 , relative to the PC boards  730 . A hole  746  in the PC board allows the light from the display shown as  747  to reach through the button portion  740 . The buttons  740  may be, for example, transparent, so that the light and portions of the screen, may be seen therethrough. 
         [0042]    Alternatively, the actuation portion  745  may include some kind of lensing system therein, for example, a magnifying lens. Hence, the actuation part  740  forms both the display and the button. The spring  745  forms both the spring, contact and tactile mechanism. A lensing system  750  is optionally provided between the display  700  and the actuator  740 , in order to maintain or focus the image from the display on the proper portion of the actuation surface of the button  740 . 
         [0043]    An alternative system may operate as shown in  FIG. 7 c   , which allows using a touch screen for the operation. Actuation mechanism is connected to an actuator part  760  which includes a bottom surface  761  adapted to touch the touch screen  770  which displays the display. The actuator part  760  allows the light from the touch screen  770  to pass therethrough. A first embodiment may use a transparent actuator  760 . A second embodiment includes a hole therethrough, through which the image of the touch screen can be seen either directly or through a lensing system. 
         [0044]    The actuation device  760  may be spring-loaded using a spring  762 . 
         [0045]    In any of the embodiments disclosed above, the video buttons can each be used for controlling any function of any of a plurality of remotely located stage lights. For example, a button can be used for fading, cross-fading, assigning an image or gobo to a light, assigning a color to a light, or any other function conventionally carried out by stage lighting systems. However, this control can also be used for other kinds of controlling. 
         [0046]    The above has described a snap action element, however it should be understood that any tactile element such as a dome or clicking element can be used. 
         [0047]    Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other embodiments are possible and the inventors intend these to be encompassed within this specification. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way. This disclosure is intended to be exemplary, and the claims are intended to cover any modification or alternative which might be predictable to a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, different display techniques, types and drivers may be used. 
         [0048]    The computers described herein may be any kind of computer, either general purpose, or some specific purpose computer such as a workstation. The computer may be a Pentium class computer, running Windows XP or Linux, or may be a Macintosh computer. The programs may be written in C, or Java, or any other programming language. The programs may be resident on a storage medium, e.g., magnetic or optical, e.g. the computer hard drive, a removable disk or other removable medium. The programs may also be run over a network, for example, with a server or other machine sending signals to the local machine, which allows the local machine to carry out the operations described herein. 
         [0049]    Also, the inventors intend that only those claims which use the words “means for” are intended to be interpreted under 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph. Moreover, no limitations from the specification are intended to be read into any claims, unless those limitations are expressly included in the claims.