Lighting Controller Beat Synchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lighting control systems require pre-generated lighting control data matching music pieces, which is challenging to create accurately and efficiently, especially in dynamic environments like concerts and nightclubs where music is selected ad-lib, leading to potential temporal mismatches between music and lighting.

Innovation Solution

A lighting controller with an information acquisition unit to detect beat positions, a reference position plotting unit to allocate lighting control information, and a lighting control information editing unit to register and adjust lighting control data in real-time, ensuring synchronization with music pieces, using a user-friendly interface for setting lighting control information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If lighting control data is generated in advance with accurate block-by-block timing, then lighting synchronization with music is improved, but the time required to create the control data and the complexity of the process increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetiming accuracyVSAvoiddata preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The music piece is divided into multiple blocks (verse, pre-chorus, chorus, etc.), and lighting control data is generated for each block separately. This segmentation allows for more manageable and efficient creation of timing-accurate lighting control data without requiring analysis of the entire music piece at once, thereby reducing overall preparation time while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the music piece to identify block structures and timing information before generating the actual lighting control data. This preliminary action prepares the foundation for rapid lighting control data generation, reducing the time needed for the main data creation process while ensuring accurate timing synchronization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If lighting control data is generated in advance with detailed block allocation, then lighting-music matching is improved, but the system becomes less adaptable to ad-lib music selection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting-music matching accuracyVSAvoidadaptability to ad-lib music
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The lighting control system is designed to dynamically generate lighting control data based on the actual music piece being played. Instead of using fixed pre-generated data for all scenarios, the system analyzes the music piece in real-time or near-real-time and generates appropriate lighting control data, making the system adaptable to ad-lib music selection while maintaining accurate lighting-music matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes key parameters such as block structure, timing information, and lighting patterns based on the characteristics of the music piece being analyzed. This allows the system to adapt to different music styles and ad-lib selections by adjusting these parameters dynamically, thereby maintaining high lighting-music matching accuracy across various scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If a dedicated lighting staff manually creates lighting control data, then lighting control accuracy is improved, but the cost and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting control accuracyVSAvoidoperational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic analysis of the music piece and self-generation of lighting control data without requiring manual intervention from dedicated lighting staff. The system identifies block structures, determines timing information, and creates lighting control data autonomously, thereby maintaining high lighting control accuracy while significantly reducing operational complexity and costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of lighting staff analyzing music and creating control data is replaced with an automated computer-based system that performs music analysis and generates lighting control data algorithmically. This substitution eliminates the need for specialized human operators while maintaining or improving the accuracy of lighting control through consistent automated processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3407683B1Lighting control device, lighting control method and lighting control program
Publication Date: 2020.09.16 ALPHATHETA CORP
  • EP3407683B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3407683B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3407683B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A lighting controller (30) is configured to generate lighting control data (35) in which lighting control information corresponding to a music piece is registered and to control a lighting fixture (20) based on the lighting control data (35). The lighting controller (30) includes: an information acquisition unit (31) configured to acquire beat position information indicating beat positions of music piece data (11); a reference position plotting unit (32) configured to plot a plurality of reference positions corresponding to the beat positions of the beat position information; a lighting control information setting unit (34) configured to set the lighting control information corresponding to the music piece; and a lighting control information editing unit (33) configured to register the lighting control information with reference to the reference positions.