Patent Publication Number: US-2012026075-A1

Title: Apparatus and method for creating a crowd-based visual display with pixels that move independently

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the fields of illumination devices and crowd-based visual displays. More particularly, the present invention relates to a light-emitting apparatus and a method by which a crowd-based visual display is created wherein each light-emitting apparatus comprises one of many independently-moving pixels in the crowd-based display. The present invention also relates to methods by which the visual display sequence of colored lights is controlled to provide various forms and sequences of colorful illumination. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many forms of crowd-unifying entertainment take place at sporting events, concerts, or other like stadium events with large crowds. Such activities include “the wave” phenomenon, flashing colored display cards, and the like. “The wave” refers to a spontaneous, concerted motion of attendees located in a stadium. This concerted motion, “the wave,” occurs when persons in one section of the stadium quickly stand up in unison, throwing their arms up into the air, and quickly, in unison, sit back down in their seats. The next adjacent seating section of the stadium, usually in a clockwise circulating direction, then quickly repeats the same collective body action behavior. This collective human behavior continues in one direction around the stadium and may continue for several revolutions around the entire stadium seating area. The effect of this collective human behavior creates the visual appearance of a waveform pattern. 
     Some stadium events also include colored display cards in each patron&#39;s seat. The display card is colored, decorated, or unique in some manner, and is used in concerted motion at a particular point, such as a sporting event halftime show, or an opening ceremony, to provide a crowd-based visual display, visible from great distances. This display, through the use of differing colors amongst the cardholders, presents some visually pleasing image to views on the opposite side of the stadium or to a television audience, for example, such as from an airplane, helicopter, blimp, or the like. 
     Both “the wave” and the use of colored display cards are visible from great distances. Whether viewers in an aircraft or viewers at opposite ends of a stadium, all should be able to observe the crowd-based display. Such events or activities are provided, or spontaneously happen, to entertain both participants and observers in a context that only large groups of people in a stadium seating arrangement can provide. 
     Unfortunately, these traditional crowd-based displays suffer from a number of deficiencies. For example, such displays are usually static in terms of content. During “the wave,” in which a person is either seated or standing, the person remains in the same seat location within the stadium. During a display card stadium event, a display card is either visibly shown or stowed under the stadium seat. The participant does not walk about freely in the stadium holding the display card. Additionally, an event such as “the wave” occurs only a few times during an event, and the display card exercise usually occurs only once, such as at a sporting event halftime show or an opening ceremony. 
     It is therefore desirable to have an apparatus and method by which crowd-based displays are created, wherein a stationary or mobile patron&#39;s hand-held light-emitting apparatus comprises one of many independently-moving pixels in the display. Furthermore, it is desirable to have methods and control sources by which the display sequence of colored lights is controlled. 
     Known in the art are devices that incorporate the use of LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, in their construction to provide a hand-held colorful light display. An LED is a semiconductor device that emits incoherent narrow-spectrum light. Known LED products in the marketplace that provide a hand-held colorful light display include a spinner ball LED wand (http://www.clubthings.com/product1069.html), a laser pointer and multi-color LED wand (http://www.yoyostore.com/laspoinmulco.html), an LED message wand to display any one of eight pre-programmed or custom light up messages (http://www.lightgod.com/store/product.asp?catid=1&amp;subcatid=962&amp;id=3608), a lighted LED wand, comprised of a multi-color nine-inch lighted flashing wand, (http://www.windycitynovelties.com/EPaysoft/Cart/product.asp?ITEM_ID=7372&amp;CatID=0), and a strober wand (http://www.technomoves.com/strober.html). 
     Patent applications known in the art that include the use of LEDs for colorful visual displays or that include LEDs in a hand-held device, such as a flashlight or medical instrument include, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0007672, filed by Benson et al. and published on Jan. 12, 2006, disclosing a user-wearable LED display. A user wearable display apparatus contains a light source that emits light and is positioned so as to illuminate a design on the surface of the display apparatus and attract viewers. The display apparatus also contains a power supply that provides power to the light source. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0040773, filed by Lebens et al. on Feb. 24, 2005, discloses a method and apparatus for hand-held portable LED illumination. The illumination source includes a plurality of LEDs, and an electrical circuit that selectively applies power from the DC voltage source to the LED units, wherein the illumination source is suitable for hand-held portable operation. In some embodiments, the electrical circuit further includes a control circuit for changing a proportion of light output having the first characteristic color spectrum output to that having the second characteristic color spectrum output, and that drives the LEDs with electrical pulses at a frequency high enough that light produced has an appearance to a human user of being continuous rather than pulsed. Still another aspect provides an illumination source including a housing including one or more LEDs; and a control circuit that selectively applies power from a source of electric power to the LEDs, thus controlling a light output color spectrum of the LEDs. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0057919, filed by Wong et al. on Mar. 17, 2005, discloses a method and apparatus for illuminating lighting elements in one or more predetermined patterns. A preferred frequency controlled lighting system implementing this method includes a motion switch, a controller, and lighting elements. The motion switch creates an activation signal in response to movement of the motion switch, the activation signal indicating at least one of duration of electrical engagement or frequency of electrical engagement within the motion switch. The controller detects the activation signal generation and uses a signal analysis system to analyze the activation signal. Preferably, a short signal circuit within the signal analysis system detects when the duration of electrical engagement is less than or equal to a predetermined duration level, a long duration circuit within the signal analysis system detects when the duration of electrical engagement is greater than the predetermined duration level, and a fast frequency circuit detects when the frequency of electrical engagement is greater than a predetermined frequency threshold. In response to properties of the activation signal, the signal analysis system commands a pattern generator to illuminate the lighting elements in one or more predetermined patterns. 
     While these and other devices and methods have attempted to solve the above mentioned problems, none have provided for a light-emitting apparatus and a method by which a crowd-based display is created wherein each light-emitting apparatus comprises one of many independently-moving pixels in the crowd-based display. Therefore, a need exists for such a device and associated methods of manufacture and use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In various embodiments, the present invention provides a light-emitting apparatus and a method by which a crowd-based display is created wherein each light-emitting apparatus comprises one of many independently-moving pixels in the crowd-based display. In various embodiments, the invention also provides methods by which the display sequence of colored lights is controlled to provide various forms of illumination. 
     In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a hand-held light-emitting wand, an LED wand, for illuminating a display sequence of colored lights from one or more control sources is disclosed. The light-emitting wand includes a blue high-intensity LED, a red high-intensity LED, a green high-intensity LED, an infrared high-intensity LED, an LED control source for controlling the display sequence of colored lights, a microprocessor, an infrared receiver, a diffuser, and a power source. A “wand” refers generally to a device or apparatus having any suitable shape and/or dimensions such that it may be held in the hand of or otherwise attached to an individual. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the LED wand includes a shock sensor for triggering communication between two LED wands and shock waves provide the control means for controlling how the visual display is generated. As two or more LED wands are tapped together, the action is detected by the on-board shock sensor and various data streams are then transmitted between the LED wands to produce various illumination patterns. This is a shock wave method for creating visual displays. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hand-held LED wand serves as, or represents, a pixel, or display element, that is part of a crowd-based display composed of many LED wands. It is well known in the art that a pixel, or picture element, is a unit of resolution for visual display having a single point in a grid, a color, and a brightness value. For example, an image with a 1280×1024 resolution has 1280 pixels horizontally and 1024 pixels vertically. This concept can be scaled significantly larger to realize that an individual person in a stadium holding an LED wand represents an individual pixel in a very large visual display. From a distance, the synchronized displays from the LED wands create the illusion of a single visual display. Most visual displays are composed of a set of pixels or display elements whose positions are fixed in space with respect to other pixels; the display may move but the physical relationship of each pixel will stay the same. The unique feature of the LED wand-based visual display, however, is that each pixel or display element is physically moving independently from the other pixels. This difference not only makes the display unique in terms of how it functions, but also in how it appears to viewers. The LED wand display has an eye-pleasing effect due to the random motion of each pixel. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control source includes of an on-board memory storing an entire display sequence. An individual LED wand is synchronized to other LED wands by starting playback of the display sequence at a specific, common point in time. This is a time-synchronized playback method for creating visual displays. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control source is external to an LED wand. This includes a method for laser-based actuation including a laser galvanometer for LED wand control. In a manner similar to a CRT (cathode ray tube) display, an infrared laser or projector transmits control data from a digital control computer to a large area covering hundreds or possibly thousands of LED wands. By scanning the display area repeatedly and rapidly, dynamic display content is sent to pixel locations in the area. The function offered by this system is that the pixels or LED wands need not remain in a static location as do traditional pixels in a visual display. Rather, the persons holding the LED wands may move around independently and still receive and display the “correct” color, or color that is intended for the stadium zone of the display they are positioned in at any point in time. Not only does this provide a technical advantage of large scale displays, it offers an artistic difference that may give the large display an organic or random nature to it. Despite movement of all pixels, a clear image may always be resolved by a viewer at a distance, such as a person in an aircraft or on the opposite facing side of a stadium. This is the laser-based actuation or laser galvanometer method for creating visual displays. 
     A plurality of light-emitting wands are used to provide a dynamic crowd-based display in which each person represents a pixel in a large visual display and where each person can freely move about while holding a light-emitting wand. Such a visual display is more pleasing to the eyes than a mere static display of flashing display cards or the like. Such a visual display also enables interactive applications unlike previous non-interactive approaches and offers a wider range of functionality including peer-to-peer interaction, interaction with infrared-based interactive applications such as the playmotion!™ by Greg Roberts experience (as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/700,827, Sensory Integration Therapy System and Associated Method of Use, filed Jul. 20, 2005) and may be reused across a number of events. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the features of the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described and which will form the subject matter of the claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to various drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like apparatus components and/or method steps, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front planar view of an LED wand according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram of an LED wand according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of an LED wand shock sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a plurality of LED wands and an external means of controlling the display sequence in each according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of an LED wand, diffuser, and shock sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a front planar view of an LED wand according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of an LED wand cylindrical diffuser and replaceable LED cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a front planar view illustrating two LED wands interacting, sensing shock, and transmitting data according to an embodiment of the present invention 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Before describing the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a front planar view of a light-emitting wand, or LED wand,  10  is shown. The LED wand  10  is a small hand-held electronic device that is capable of displaying both colored visible light and near-infrared light. The main function of an LED wand  10  is to display a sequence of colors as part of a visual display composed of a collection of LED wands  10 . The display sequence is controlled from one of several control sources. The LED wand has any suitable shape and/or dimensions such that it may be held in the hand of or otherwise attached to an individual. The LED wand is made of any suitable material such as plastic, metal, or the like. 
     The light-emitting wand includes a blue high-intensity LED  20 , a red high-intensity LED  22 , a green high-intensity LED  24 , an infrared high-intensity LED  26 , an LED control source for controlling the display sequence of colored lights, as referred to in more detail hereinbelow, a microprocessor  30 , an infrared receiver  80 , and a power source  40 . In  FIG. 1 , the LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26  are shown exposed, without a diffuser covering them. However, a diffuser is used to cover the various radiation sources, light-emitting sources, LEDs, or the like, as illustrated in later figures. 
     The physical assembly of the LED wand  10  components is maintained in a protective shell  70  and a handgrip  72 . In  FIG. 1 , the LED wand  10  is hand-held; however, the LED wand  10  includes other means than hand-held and attaches by other means to an individual or location. The LED wand  10  further includes two finger-activated push buttons within the physical assembly of the LED wand  10 : a power ON/OFF button  60 , and a mode selection button  62 . Within the physical assembly of the LED wand  10 , wire connector means  32  are used to connect the microprocessor  30 , various LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26 , and a printed circuit board. The wire connector means  32  include electronic wiring and/or a printed circuit board. 
     The LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26  are all products known in the art and easily obtained through various microelectronic sales outlets. Although  FIG. 1  illustrates the use of one blue high-intensity LED  20 , one red high-intensity LED  22 , and one green high-intensity LED  24 , various quantities and configurations of LEDs may be used to produce various colors. It is well known in the art that selections from a plethora of color LED components and combinations could be used. Shown here in  FIG. 1  is a simple example of LED combinations. 
     Using the three color LED components as shown, there are eight possible color combinations that may be illuminated from the LED wand  10 . Since each colored LED  20 ,  22 ,  24  may be either ON or OFF, and since there are three colors, blue, red, and green, for the LEDs shown, there are eight possible color combinations. For example, if the blue high-intensity LED  20  if OFF, but the red high-intensity LED  22 , and green high-intensity LED  24  are ON, the resultant color is the combination of equal parts of red and green emitted light. 
     The LED control source for controlling the display sequence of colored lights may be one of several options. For example, the LED control source may be on-board the LED wand  10  printed circuit board or it may be external to the LED wand. One on-board LED control source option includes an on-board memory which is used in the time-synchronized playback method for creating the visual displays. Another on-board LED control source option includes an on-board shock sensor which is used in the shock wave method for creating visual displays (shown in  FIG. 8 ). An external LED control source method is the laser-based actuation method, using a bean scanning galvanometer, for creating the visual displays (shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
     In the time-synchronized playback method, the LED control source is comprised of an on-board memory, located within the LED wand  10 , storing an entire visual display sequence. Also included in the on-board memory is an information instruction set including time and display sequence information. An individual LED wand  10  is synchronized to other LED wands  10  by starting playback of the display sequence at a specific, common point in time. For example, to create a crowd-based display at a certain point in time at a stadium event and with various display sequences generated at the LED wands  10 , the on-board memory is pre-programmed such that the various LED wands  10  in use in various stadium seating sections are synchronized on time and content for generating a crowd-based visual display. Instruction sets contained within the on-board memory can vary between the plurality of seating sections and individual seats within a stadium. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an electronic component circuit diagram for an LED wand  10  is shown. The circuit diagram is representative of how the various electronic components within the LED wand  10  relate and how they are manufactured together on a printed circuit board. The microprocessor  30  is connected to the red, green, blue, and infrared LEDs  22 ,  24 ,  20 ,  26 , respectively. A shock sensor  50  is included for detection of shock waves  52  from interaction between multiple LED wands  10 . The LED wand  10  may operate in either a personal mode  66  or a receiver mode  64 , as determined by user input at the mode selection switch  62 . The personal mode  66  is for use as a stand-alone LED wand. While in receiver mode  64 , the LED wand receives, through the IR receiver  80 , infrared signals from external sources such as from the laser-based actuation, or laser galvanometer, method. The circuit diagram is also shown with a power source  40 . The power source  40  includes direct current batteries, but other power sources of varying types such as rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, or the like, may be used. The power source  40  is initiated by a user depressing the ON/OFF switch  60 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a front perspective view of an LED wand shock sensor  50  is shown. A shock sensor  50  is well known in the art and is easily obtained through various microelectronic sales outlets. Once an LED wand  10  is moved, hit, or jostled in any manner, the shock sensor  50  recognizes, or senses, the shock waves  52  and the varying intensity of the shock waves  52 . The shock sensor  50  is then capable of transmitting a signal with the detected shock waves  52 . 
     In embodiments where the LED wand  10  also includes a shock sensor  50 , such as in the shock wave method for creating visual displays, the shock sensor  50 , once activated, triggers communication between two or more LED wands  10 . As two or more LED wands  10  are tapped together, or otherwise moved, hit, or jostled, the action is detected by the on-board shock sensor  50  and various data streams  54 , as shown for example in  FIG. 8 , are then transmitted between the LED wands  10  to produce various illumination patterns. For example, where two persons are in proximity of one another and each holding an LED wand  10 , one taps the LED wand  10  of the other. The tapping is sensed by the shock sensor  50  on-board each of the two LED wands  10 . As a result of the shock sensor  50  sensing the shock waves (as shown in  FIG. 8 ), a visual display sequence is generated from the microprocessor and the visual display sequence is transmitted electronically from the microprocessor to the various LEDs. The visual display sequence information is also transmitted from the high-intensity infrared LED  26  of one LED wand  10  to the other LED wand  10 . Thus, an eye-pleasing visual display is generated from each LED wand  10  after one LED wand  10  has tapped the other LED wand  10  and each has sensed shock as detected by the on-board shock sensor  50 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a plurality of LED wands  10  and an external (to the LED wand  10 ) means of controlling the display sequence in each is shown. The external LED control source method shown is the laser-based actuation, or laser galvanometer, method wherein the LED wand  10  and a beam scanning galvanometer  100  interact, creating colorful visual displays. Also shown are the IR pulse laser  104 , a beam expander  102 , and the mirrors  110  of the beam scanning galvanometer  100 . A beam scanning galvanometer  100  is well known in the art and may be obtained through various microelectronic sales outlets. A beam scanning galvanometer  100  may have varying mirror  100  sizes and combinations and may operate at varying speeds of scanning The digital control computer  106  acts as a source of video display content by transmitting a signal to a control board attached to a beam scanning galvanometer  100 . This control board attached to a beam scanning galvanometer  100  translates the video signal, or abstraction of the signal, to an intermediate signal that drives the beam scanning galvanometer  100 . The beam scanning galvanometer  100  directs the laser beam, and the IR pulse laser  104  is pulse-modulated (binary switching) according to a communications protocol that is custom designed for transmitting to the LED wands  10 . This infrared protocol is based on a common transmission protocol used for remote controlling televisions and VCRs. The LED wand  10 , which is represented as a reference point in the crowd  108 , composed of various x,y coordinates to pinpoint an exact location, receives the signal by means of its IR receiver  80  and the microprocessor  30  processes the signal to control the LEDs,  20 ,  22 , and  24 , as shown in previous figures. Additionally, as shown in previous figures, the infrared LED  26  in an LED wand  10  is capable of transmitting display information to neighboring LED wands  10  so a display may be propagated across a crowd through peer to peer communication alone. 
     For example, where many persons are located throughout a stadium or the like, and as recognized by the beam scanning galvanometer  100  as a reference point in the crowd  108 , and each holding or having an LED wand, multiple beam scanning galvanometers  100  scan the crowd. The digital control computer  106  acts as a source of video display content by transmitting a signal to a control board attached to a predetermined number of beam scanning galvanometers  100 . Each beam scanning galvanometer  100  scans an area of a stadium and sends various visual display sequences, or data streams  54 , to each reference point in the crowd  108 . This is done by the X-Y scanning capabilities of the beam scanning galvanometer  100 . 
     The laser actuation method of creating visual displays exploits people&#39;s persistence of vision, or ability to hold a color in place for a short but delayed amount of time. By scanning an IR pulse laser  104  quickly enough, the IR pulse laser  104  may create the illusion of a complete drawing or set of contours. This invention exploits this property of temporal dithering afforded by galvanometer-controlled lasers to rapidly transmit independent signals to large areas for controlling the color of a LED Wand that may or may not be in an expected region of the display. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a front perspective view of an LED wand  10 , spherical diffuser  74 , and shock sensor  50  is shown. The LED wand  10  is shown with blue, red, and green high-intensity LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24  and an infrared high-intensity LED  26 . The LED wand  10  is also shown with the microprocessor  30 , hand grip  72 , power source,  40 , power ON/OFF button  60 , and a mode selection button  62 . The enlarged area view is also shown with a shock sensor  50  and an IR receiver  80 . 
     A diffuser (a spherical diffuser  74  in  FIG. 5  and a cylindrical diffuser  76  in  FIGS. 6 ,  7 , and  8 ) is a device used to scatter the light rays  28  from the LED sources  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26  by the process of diffuse transmission, or light scattering. A diffuser  74  or  76  is generally made of a translucent material. The diffuser  74  or  76  also serves as a protective shell or cover over the LED components  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26 . Various diffusers  74  or  76  in size, shape, and of varying degrees of translucency, all of which are well known in the art, may be used for the LED wand  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a front planar view of an LED wand  10  is shown. This LED wand  10  is illustrated with a cylindrical diffuser  76 . The LED wand  10  is shown with blue, red, and green high-intensity LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24 , an infrared high-intensity LED  26 , and an infrared receiver  80 . Light rays  28  from either visible color light or from infrared light are emitted from the various LEDs,  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26 . The LED wand  10  is also shown with the microprocessor  30 , hand grip  72 , power source  40 , power ON/OFF button  60 , and a mode selection button  62 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a front perspective view of an LED wand cylindrical diffuser  76  and replaceable LED cartridge  90  is shown. The color or infrared LEDs may eventually burn out and no longer emit light. Thus, the LED wand  10  provides a mechanism for easy replacement of the LEDs  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26 . As shown, a replaceable LED cartridge  90 , containing the various LEDs,  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26  may be inserted into the LED wand  10  when necessary. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a front planar view of two LED wands  10  interacting, sensing shock, and transmitting data is shown. This is the shock wave method for creating colorful visual displays, wherein physical touch, or shock, between two or more LED wands  10  may be detected using the on-board shock sensor  50  in each LED wand  10  to transmit visual display information in the form of data streams  54 . 
     For example, as two or more LED wands  10  are tapped together, or otherwise moved, hit, or jostled, the action is detected by the on-board shock sensor  50  in each LED wand  10  and various data streams  54  are then transmitted between the LED wands  10  to produce various illumination patterns by instructions from the microprocessor  30  and transmitted through the high-intensity infrared LED  26 , as shown in earlier figures. Where two persons are in proximity of one another and, one taps the LED wand  10  of the other. The tapping is sensed by the shock sensor  50  on-board each of the two LED wands  10 . As a result of the shock sensor  50  sensing the shock waves, a visual display sequence is generated from the microprocessor and the visual display sequence is transmitted electronically from the microprocessor to the various LEDs. The visual display sequence information is also transmitted from the high-intensity infrared LED  26  of one LED wand  10  to the other LED wand  10 . Thus, an eye-pleasing visual display is generated from each LED wand  10  after one LED wand  10  has tapped the other LED wand  10  and each has sensed shock as detected by the on-board shock sensor  50 . 
     A preferred mode of practicing the invention is in large stadiums during sporting events, concerts, or the like. Traditionally, such crowd-based displays are concerted efforts of a crowd requiring the bearing of cards or colors in unison. The LED wand  10  based display of the represent invention, however, may be used anytime during the event as long as they are visible. In such crowd-based displays, the hand-held LED wand  10  serves as, or represents, a pixel, or display element that is part of a large crowd-based display composed of many LED wands  10 . 
     A preferred mode is further comprised of a method for laser-based actuation comprised of a beam scanning galvanometer  100  for LED wand  10  control. In a manner similar to a CRT (cathode ray tube) display, an infrared pulse laser  104  transmits control data streams  54  from a digital control computer  106  to a large area covering hundreds or thousands of LED wands  10 . By scanning the display area repeatedly and rapidly, thus determining a reference point in the crowd  108 , dynamic display content may be sent to pixel locations in the area. The LED wands  10  need not remain in a static location, such as at one stadium seat number, as do traditional pixels in a visual display. Rather, the persons holding the LED wands  10  may move around independently and still receive and display the “correct” color, or color that is intended for the stadium zone of the display they are positioned in at any point in time. This provides a technical advantage of large scale displays and offers an artistic difference that may give the large display an organic or random nature to it. Despite movement of all pixels, a clear image may always be resolved by a viewer at a distance, such as a person in a blimp or on the opposite facing side of a stadium. 
     Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to preferred embodiments and examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve similar results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the invention and are intended to be covered by the following claims.