Patent EA-001005-B1 (EA)
Title: Retrofit lighting system
Inventor: BEVINGTON MARK
IPC: H05B44/00
Filed: 1997-01-23
Abstract: 1. A retrofit electroluminescent (EL) lighting system, for use with a host machine, to produce lighting effects in response to lamp power signals that are provided from the host system and that would otherwise be used to power lamps of the host machine, the retrofit lighting system comprising: an EL lamp system having a plurality of EL lamp cells; sequencing circuitry providing an EL lamp driving signal to independently control each of the EL lamp cells of the EL lamp system, such that the EL lamp cells collectively illuminate in a sequence corresponding to the EL lamp driving signal; and signal conditioning circuitry that non-invasively samples the lamp power signals provided from the host system and that provides the EL lamp driving signal to the sequencing circuitry in response thereto. 2. A retrofit electroluminescent (EL) lighting system, for use with a host machine, to produce lighting effects in response to lamp power signals that are provided from the host system and that would otherwise be used to power lamps of the host machine, the retrofit lighting system comprising: an EL lamp system having a plurality of EL lamp cells; sequencing circuitry providing an EL lamp driving signal to independently control each of the EL lamp cells of the EL lamp system such that the EL lamp cells collectively illuminate in a sequence corresponding to the EL lamp driving signal; and signal conditioning circuitry that samples the lamp power signals provided from the host system and that provides the EL lamp driving signal to the sequencing circuitry in response thereto. 3. An electroluminescent (EL) lighting system to produce lighting effects, the lighting system comprising: an EL lamp system having a plurality of EL lamp cells; sequencing circuitry providing a periodic EL lamp driving signal to independently control each of the EL lamp cells of the EL lamp system such that the EL lamp cells collectively illuminate in a sequence; signal level detection circuitry that detects the periodic EL lamp driving signal having a particular level, wherein the sequencing circuitry controls the EL lamp cells in response to a result of the detection by the signal level detection circuitry. 4. The EL lighting system of claim 3, wherein the sequencing circuitry includes: switching signal generating circuitry to generate a plurality of switching signals, and a plurality of switch circuits, each switch circuit configured to selectively provide the periodic EL lamp driving signal to a corresponding one of the EL lamp cells in response to a corresponding one of the generated switching signals, and the switching signal generating circuitry generates the switching signals in response to the result of the detection by the signal level detection circuitry. 5. The EL lighting system of claim 4, wherein each switch circuit is configured to not provide the periodic EL lamp driving signal to the corresponding EL lamp cell when the corresponding switching signal has a first level, and wherein each switch circuit is configured to provide the periodic EL lamp driving signal to the corresponding EL lamp cell when the corresponding switching signal has a second level, and for each switching signal generated, the switching signal generating circuitry changes that switching signal from the first level to the second level in response to the result of the detection by the signal level detection circuitry. 6. The EL lighting system of claim 5, wherein the particular level detected by the signal level detection circuitry is a substantially zero level. 7. The EL lighting system of claim 5, wherein for each switching signal generated, the switching signal generating circuitry changes that switching signal from the second level to the first level in response to the result of the detection by the signal level detection circuitry. 8. The EL lighting system of claim 5, wherein a first switching signal of the plurality of switching signals corresponds to a first EL lamp cell of the plurality of EL lamp cells; a second switching signal of the plurality of switching signals corresponds to a second EL lamp cell of the plurality of EL lamp cells; the switching signal generating circuitry changes the levels of the switching signals such that the first switching signal is switched from the first level to the second level and then, after the driving signal recovers from an instability caused by the first EL lamp cell being switched on, the second switching signal is switched from the second level to the first level, thereby avoiding a spike in the driving signal when the second switching signal is switched from the second level to the first level. 9. The EL lighting system of claim 4, wherein the particular level detected by the signal level detection circuitry is a substantially zero level. 10. The EL lighting system of claim 4, wherein a first switching signal of the plurality of switching signals corresponds to a first EL lamp cell of the plurality of EL lamp cells; a second switching signal of the plurality of switching signals corresponds to a second EL lamp cell of the plurality of EL lamp cells; the switching signal generating circuitry changes the levels of the first and second switching signals such that the first EL lamp cell is switched on while the second EL lamp cell is on and, then, after the driving signal recovers from an instability caused by the first EL lamp cell being switched on, the second EL lamp cell is switched off, thereby avoiding a spike in the driving signal when the second EL lamp cell is switched off. 11. The EL lighting system of claim 3, wherein the sequencing circuitry is configured to switch on the first EL lamp cell while the second EL lamp cell is on and, then, after the driving signal recovers from an instability caused by the first EL lamp cell being switched on, the second EL lamp cell is switched off, thereby avoiding a spike in the driving signal when the second EL lamp cell is switched off. 12. An electroluminescent (EL) lighting system to produce lighting effects, the lighting system including: an EL lamp system having a plurality of EL lamp cells; sequencing circuitry providing a periodic EL lamp driving signal to independently control each of the EL lamp cells of the EL lamp system such that the EL lamp cells collectively illuminate in a sequence; and capacitive load circuitry having a plurality of load capacitance means, wherein the sequencing circuitry further independently controls each of the load capacitance means such that combinations of one or more of the load capacitance means are collectively activated in an activation sequence, wherein the activation sequence corresponds to the illumination sequence. 13. The EL lighting system of claim 12, wherein: the activation sequence is such that a capacitance presented to a driving signal generator, that generates the EL driving signal, is substantially constant among the steps of the illumination sequence. 14. The EL lighting system of claim 12, wherein the sequencing circuitry includes: primary switching signal generating circuitry to generate a plurality of primary switching signals; a plurality of primary switch circuits, each primary switch circuit configured to selectively provide the EL lamp driving signal to a corresponding one of the generated primary switching signals; secondary switching signal generating circuitry to generate a plurality of secondary switching signals; and a plurality of secondary switch circuits, each secondary switch circuit configured to selectively provide the EL lamp driving signal to a corresponding one of the load capacitance means. 15. The EL lighting system of claim 13, wherein the activation sequence is such that load capacitance means are activated between steps of the illumination sequence, thereby avoiding a spike in the driving signal as the illumination sequence goes from step to step.