Patent ID: 7295158

Claim:
An effects automation system for generating control data for the control of first and second effects devices, based on the relative position of a mobile target, the system comprising: (a) a first stationary receiver and a second stationary receiver for receiving signals and transmitting data; (b) a first stationary transmitter tag and a second stationary transmitter tag, said first and second stationary transmitter tags for transmitting signals to the first and second stationary receivers; (c) a mobile transmitter tag coupled to the mobile target, said mobile transmitter tag for transmitting signals to the first and second stationary receivers; (d) a processing hub in data communication with the first and second stationary receivers for determining a first relative position value for the first stationary receiver and a second relative position value for the second stationary receiver, said processing hub including: (I) a memory for storing said first and second relative position values; (II) a processor coupled to the memory for: (A) receiving data from the first and second stationary receivers that corresponds to the signals transmitted by the stationary transmitter tags and the mobile transmitter tag; (B) utilizing the data that corresponds to signals transmitted by the first and second stationary transmitter tags to determine the relative distance between the first and second stationary receivers; (C) utilizing the data that corresponds to signals transmitted by the mobile transmitter tag and the data that corresponds to signals transmitted by the first and second stationary transmitter tags to determine the relative distances between the mobile target and each of the first and second stationary receivers; (D) determining the first and second relative position values based on the relative distances determined in (B) and (C), where the first relative position value corresponds to the proportion of the relative distance between the first and second stationary receivers associated with the mobile target and the second stationary receiver and where the second relative position value corresponds to the proportion of the relative distance between the first and second stationary receivers associated with the mobile target and the first stationary receiver; and (E) utilizing the first and second relative position values to generate the control data for control of the first and second effects devices.