LIGHTING CONTROL CONSOLE HAVING A ROTARY CONTROL

Abstract

The invention concerns a lighting control console (01) for controlling a lighting system, digital adjusting commands being generated in the lighting control console (01), said adjusting commands being able to be transmitted to the lighting devices of the lighting system via data links, and said lighting control console (01) comprising at least one digital processor and at least one digital memory for generating, managing and storing the adjusting commands, and said lighting control console (01) comprising at least one display device (02, 03), and graphic elements being able to be graphically depicted for users at the display device (02, 03), and at least one rotary control (5) being provided in the control panel of the lighting control console (01), input values being able to be input by the user by adjusting an illuminable rotary knob (7) in a rotatory manner, at least one light source for illuminating the rotary knob (07) being provided in the housing (13) of the lighting control console (01), a light conducting element comprising at least one light entry surface and at least one light exit surface being provided in said rotary knob (07), and the light of the light source being able to be coupled into the light conducting element at the light entry surface, and the light being able to exit from the light conducting element at the light exit surface so as to illuminate the rotary knob (7) from the inside.

Claims

1. A lighting control console for controlling a lighting system, digital adjusting commands being generated in the lighting control console, said adjusting commands being able to be transmitted to the lighting devices of the lighting system via data links, and said lighting control console comprising at least one digital processor and at least one digital memory for generating, managing and storing the adjusting commands, and said lighting control console comprising at least one display device, and graphic elements being able to be graphically depicted for users at the display device, and at least one rotary control being provided in the control panel of the lighting control console, input values being able to be input by the user by adjusting an illuminable rotary knob in a rotatory manner, wherein at least one light source for illuminating the rotary knob is provided in the housing of the lighting control console, a light conducting element comprising at least one light entry surface and at least one light exit surface being provided in said rotary knob, and the light of the light source being able to be coupled into the light conducting element at the light entry surface, and the light being able to exit from the light conducting element at the light exit surface so as to illuminate the rotary knob from the inside.

2. The lighting control console according to claim 1, wherein the rotary knob in its entirety is realized in the manner of a light conducting element.

3. The lighting control console according to claim 2, wherein the rotary knob is made of a plastic material capable of conducting light.

4. The lighting control console according to claim 1, wherein a cover cap is attached to the part of the rotary knob protruding from the housing of the lighting control console, said cover cap partially covering the light exit surface of the rotary knob, said cover cap comprising at least one light transit surface at which the light exiting at the rotary knob is allowed to pass through.

5. The lighting control console according to claim 1, wherein the rotary knob has a cylindrical shape, the first end face of the cylindrical rotary knob being designed as the light entry surface, and the second end face and the shell surface of the cylindrical rotary knob being designed as the light exit surfaces.

6. The lighting control console according to claim 4, wherein the cover cap has a cylindrical shape having an open end face, the shell surface of the cylindrical cover cap being opaque, and the end face of the cylindrical cover cap comprising a translucent light transit surface.

7. The lighting control console according to claim 4, wherein the cover cap is attached to the rotary knob in a removable manner.

8. The lighting control console according to claim 1, wherein the light source is realized in the manner of a light emitting diode (LEN).

Description

[0017] An embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in the drawings and is explained by means of examples hereinafter.

[0018] In the following,

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a lighting control console having several rotary controls in a perspective view from the front;

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a rotary control of the lighting control console according to FIG. 1 dismounted from the console in a perspective view from the front;

[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates the rotary control according to FIG. 2 having its cover cap removed in a perspective view from the front.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates in a perspective view a lighting control console 01 according to the invention for programming and controlling a stage lighting system. The lighting control console 01 is equipped with three monitors 02 and three monitors 03 for displaying various menus to the user. For inputting adjusting commands, a plurality of pushbuttons 04, rotary controls 05 and slide controls 06 are provided at the lighting control console 01. The rotary knobs 07 (see FIG. 2) of the rotary controls 05 protrude from the housing 13 of the lighting control console 01 so that the user can apply appropriate rotary movements to the rotary knob.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the rotary control 05 in a perspective view from the front. The rotary knob 07 is mounted on a console 08 in a rotatable manner. A potentiometer can be disposed in the console 08, said potentiometer converting the rotatory control commands at the rotary knob 07 into the respective electrical signals. This information can be transferred via electrical contacts 09 to the actual mainboard of the lighting control console.

[0024] Furthermore, an LED lighting unit for illuminating the rotary knob 07 is installed in the console 08. For this purpose, the light generated by the LED light source is coupled in at the end face of the rotary knob 07 integrated in the console 08. The rotary knob 07 itself is made of a plastic material capable of conducting light and thus serves as a light conducting element.

[0025] A cylindrical cover cap 10 is attached to the cylindrical rotary knob 07, the shell surface of said cover cap 10 being made of an opaque plastic material. The light exiting from the rotary knob 07 is strongly reduced due to the attachment of the cover cap 10. The cover cap 10 comprises a to light transit surface 12 only on its end face 11 pointing to the top. As a result, only the light transit surface 12 is illuminated during illumination of the rotary knob 07 so that blinding effects resulting from bright light development on the rotary controls 05 can be precluded.