1. A method of forming a suspended strut rack having a plurality of channel members having a plurality of apertures defined therein, said channel members supported on threaded rods from a ceiling member, said channel members spaced apart from one another at desired distances, comprising the steps of:
providing at least two support members, each support member disposed parallel to the other;
providing at least one pair of jig members;
slideably engaging each jig member of a pair, one jig member on each of the support members disposed opposite to the other;
arraying said jig members on said support members to be aligned in sequence with said jig member of each pair disposed parallel to one another;
defining channel member receipt areas in the tops of each of said jig members, each of said jig members having a length, a first end and a second end;
positioning a channel member within said channel member receipt areas of each opposing pairs of jig members such that said channel members are disposed perpendicular to said support members;
aligning said channel members to be a desired distance from one another and parallel to one another;
providing in sequence from said first end of each of said jig members to said second end a nut receipt slot, a lock receipt slot and a square washer receipt slot on one side of said channel member receipt area followed by a square washer receipt slot, a lock washer receipt slot and a nut receipt slot;
positioning square washers in said square washer receipt slots;
positioning lock washers in said lock washer receipt slots;
positioning nuts in said nut receipt slots;
providing a threaded rod receipt channel defined in said tops of each of said jig members along its length, said threaded rod receipt channel aligned with said apertures in said nuts, lock washers and square washers;
driving a threaded rod through said threaded rod receipt channels in said jig members arrayed on each support member, each threaded rod to engage through said aligned apertures in said square washers, lock washers and nuts and through a channel member aperture in each of said channel members;
engaging said channel members together by said step of driving said threaded rods;
lifting said threaded rods and attached channel members out of said jig members; and
engaging said threaded rods into a selected ceiling member to create a suspended strut rack.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for controlling pulse width modulated lighting devices within a lighting apparatus, the lighting apparatus comprising a plurality of sets of lighting devices, the method comprising:
setting a counter for a first set of the plurality of sets of lighting devices using a master counter and an activation duration for one or more other sets of the plurality of sets of lighting devices; and
determining an activation time period within a duty cycle for the first set of lighting devices using the counter for the first set of lighting devices and an activation duration for the first set of lighting devices.
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising setting an order for the plurality of sets of lighting devices; and
wherein said activation duration of the one or more other sets of lighting devices comprises a sum of activation durations for sets of the plurality of sets of lighting devices ordered higher than the first set of lighting devices.
3. A method according to claim 3, wherein the sum of activation durations for sets of lighting devices ordered higher than the first set of lighting devices comprises a sum computed using modulo math with a base equal to a number of time segments within the duty cycle.
4. A method according to claim 4, wherein any carry bits generated during the sum of activation durations for sets of lighting devices ordered higher than the first set of lighting devices is ignored.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said determining the activation time period within the duty cycle for the first set of lighting devices comprises adding the counter for the first set of lighting devices and the activation duration for the first set of lighting devices, a resulting sum indicating whether to activate the first set of lighting devices.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein for each particular time segment in the duty cycle, if the resulting sum is greater than or equal to a number of time segments in the duty cycle, the first set of lighting devices is activated and deactivated otherwise.
7. A method according to claim 5, wherein for each particular time segment in the duty cycle, if the resulting sum is less than a number of time segments in the duty cycle, the first set of lighting devices is activated and deactivated otherwise.
8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising activating the first set of lighting devices during the activation time period for the first set of lighting devices.
9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
setting a counter for a second set of the plurality of sets of lighting devices using the master counter, the activation duration for the one or more other sets of lighting devices and the activation duration for the first set of lighting devices; and
determining an activation time period within the duty cycle for the second set of lighting devices using the counter for the second set of lighting devices and an activation duration for the second set of lighting devices.
10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising activating the first set of lighting devices during the activation time period for the first set of lighting devices and activating the second set of lighting devices during the activation time period for the second set of lighting devices; wherein the activation time periods for the first and second sets of lighting devices are synchronized to limit instantaneous fluctuations in current requirements for the first and second sets of lighting devices.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of lighting devices comprises a set of light emitting diodes.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the set of light emitting diodes comprise light emitting diodes of one or more of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, violet, ultraviolet, infrared, white and organic light emitting diodes.
13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of lighting devices comprises a plurality of lighting devices.
14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of lighting devices comprises one lighting device.
15. A control apparatus comprising:
a plurality of interfaces, each coupled to a respective one of a plurality of sets of pulse width modulated lighting devices; and
a processing entity, coupled to the plurality of interfaces, configured to set a counter for a first set of the plurality of sets of lighting devices using a master counter and an activation duration for one or more other sets of the plurality of sets of lighting devices, and to determine an activation time period within a duty cycle for the first set of lighting devices using the counter for the first set of lighting devices and an activation duration for the first set of lighting devices.
16. Computer-readable media containing a program element executable by a computing system to perform a method according to claim 1.
17. A method for controlling a plurality of sets of lighting devices, each of the sets of lighting devices having an activation duration within a duty cycle, the method comprising:
setting start and end times for activation of each of the plurality of sets of lighting devices within the duty cycle to activate the set of lighting devices for its corresponding activation duration;
wherein the plurality of sets of lighting devices are powered by a single power supply and the start and end times for activation of each of the plurality of sets of lighting devices are set to mitigate instantaneous fluctuations in current within the power supply.
18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of sets of lighting devices comprises sets of lighting devices of different colors; and wherein the activation durations within the duty cycle corresponding to the plurality of sets of lighting devices are set to generate a particular light spectrum output.
19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of sets of lighting devices comprises sets of lighting devices of a single color; and wherein a sum of the activation durations within the duty cycle corresponding to the plurality of sets of lighting devices comprises an overall activation duration for the single color, the overall activation duration being set to generate a particular light intensity for the single color.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of sets of lighting devices comprises a plurality of sets of white lighting devices.