Color and intensity control over power wires

1. A control element for a luminaire, the control element arranged to be connected to the luminaire unit over a pair of wires carrying an alternating current power signal, the control comprising:

a first manually variable non-momentary impedance;

a second manually variable non-momentary impedance;

a first time dependent gating circuit, responsive to said first manually variable non-momentary impedance, arranged to provide a time dependent gating of a first polarity of the alternating current power signal, the amount of time of said gating of said first polarity reflecting the present value of said first manually variable non-momentary impedance; and

a second time dependent gating circuit, responsive to said second manually variable non-momentary impedance, arranged to provide a time dependent gating of a second polarity of the alternating current power signal, said second polarity opposite said first polarity, the amount of time of said gating of said second polarity reflecting the present value of said second manually variable non-momentary impedance,

wherein said first time dependent gating circuit and said second time dependent gating circuit are restrained to maintain a minimum predetermined power towards the luminaire.

2. A control element according to claim 1 , wherein said first manually variable non-momentary impedance is associated with a target brightness and said second manually variably non-momentary impedance is associated with a target color.

3. A control element according to claim 1 , wherein said first time dependent gating circuit comprises a thyristor.

4. A control element according to claim 1 , wherein said second time dependent gating circuit comprises a thyristor.

5. A lighting and control system, comprising:

a control element comprising:

a first manually variable non-momentary impedance;

a second manually variable non-momentary impedance;

a first time dependent gating circuit responsive to said first manually variable non-momentary impedance and arranged to provide a time dependent gating of a first polarity of an alternating current power signal, the amount of time of said gating of said first polarity reflecting the present value of said first manually variable non-momentary impedance; and

a second time dependent gating circuit responsive to said second manually variable non-momentary impedance and arranged to provide a time dependent gating of a second polarity of the alternating current power signal, said second polarity opposite said first polarity, the amount of time of said gating of said second polarity reflecting the present value of said second manually variable non-momentary impedance; and

a lighting unit arranged to be powered from the gated alternating current power signal over a pair of power carrying wires, said lighting unit comprising:

a detector arranged on each of said first polarity and said second polarity to output a representation of said present value of said first and said second manually variable non-momentary impedance, respectively; and

a luminaire exhibiting a variable output light intensity and color responsive to said detector,

wherein the intensity of the light output of said luminaire is thus reflective of the present value of said first variable non-momentary impedance and the color output of said luminaire is thus reflective of the present value of said second variable non-momentary impedance, and

wherein said first time dependent gating circuit and said second time dependent gating circuit are restrained to maintain a minimum predetermined power towards said lighting unit.

6. A lighting and control system according to claim 5 , wherein said lighting unit further comprises a direct current to direct current converter exhibiting an output voltage, said output voltage responsive to said detector to thereby adjust said light intensity of said luminaire.

7. A lighting and control system according to claim 6 , wherein said luminaire comprises a plurality of light emitting diode strings arranged to receive power from said direct current to direct current converter, each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings outputting light of a particular one of a plurality of colors, said color output of said luminaire comprising a mix of the color outputs of said plurality of light emitting diode strings.

8. A lighting and control system according to claim 7 , wherein each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings is respectively pulse width modulated responsive to said detector to thereby adjust said color output.

9. A lighting and control system according to claim 7 , wherein each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings is coupled in series with a respective electronically controlled switch, said respective electronically controlled switch arranged to alternately, responsive to said detector, allow the flow of a sufficient current through the respective light emitting diode string to produce an optical output of said particular one of said plurality of colors, and block the flow of said sufficient current through the respective light emitting diode string, and wherein said detector is operative to pulse width modulate each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings via said respective electronically controlled switch to thereby adjust said color output.

10. A method of powering and controlling a luminaire over a pair of alternating current carrying wires, said method comprising:

receiving a first non-momentary input reflective of a desired light intensity;

receiving a second non-momentary input reflective of a desired light color;

gating a portion of a first polarity of an alternating current power signal, said portion of said first polarity responsive to said received first non-momentary input;

gating a portion of a second polarity of the alternating current power signal, said second polarity opposite said first polarity, said portion of said second polarity responsive to said received second non-momentary input;

detecting the amount of said gating of said first polarity;

detecting the amount of said gating of said second polarity;

powering a luminaire with said gated alternating current power signal;

controlling the intensity of light output by said powered luminaire responsive to said detected amount of said gating of said first polarity; and

controlling the output color of said powered luminaire responsive to said detected amount of said gating of said second polarity.

11. A method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

limiting said gating of said portion of said first polarity and said portion of said second polarity so as to provide a predetermined minimum amount of power to said powered luminaire.

12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said gating a portion of said first polarity comprises blocking the flow of said alternating current power signal until the voltage of said alternating current power signal of said first polarity has exceeded a threshold, said threshold responsive to said received first non-momentary input.

13. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said gating a portion of said second polarity comprises blocking the flow of said alternating current power signal until the voltage of said alternating current power signal of said second polarity has exceeded a threshold, said threshold responsive to said received second non-momentary input.

14. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said powering the luminaire comprises:

rectifying said gated alternating current power signal to produce a direct current signal having a first voltage; and

converting said produced direct current signal to a direct current signal having a second voltage, and

wherein said controlling the luminous intensity comprises adjusting the value of said second voltage.

15. A method according to claim 10 , wherein said controlling the output color of said powered luminaire comprises pulse width modulating constituent colored light emitting elements of said powered luminaire so as to produce said desired light color.

16. A lighting unit arranged to be powered from a gated alternating current power over a pair of power carrying wires, the lighting unit comprising:

a detector arranged on each of a first polarity and a second polarity of the gated alternating current power, said first polarity opposing said second polarity, said detector arranged to determine the amount of said gating of said first polarity and the amount of said gating of said second polarity and output a first control signal reflective of said determined amount of said gating of said first polarity and a second control signal reflective of said determined amount of said gating of said second polarity; and

a luminaire exhibiting a variable output light intensity and a variable output color, said light intensity adjustable responsive to said output first control signal, and said output color adjustable responsive to said second control signal.

17. A lighting unit according to claim 16 , further comprising a direct current to direct current converter exhibiting an output voltage, said output voltage responsive to said detector to thereby adjust said light intensity of said luminaire.

18. A lighting unit according to claim 17 , wherein said luminaire comprises a plurality of light emitting diode strings arranged to receive power from said direct current to direct current converter, each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings outputting light of a particular one of a plurality of colors, said color output of said luminaire comprising a mix of the color outputs of said plurality of light emitting diode strings.

19. A lighting unit according to claim 18 , wherein each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings is respectively pulse width modulated responsive to said detector to thereby adjust said color output.

20. A lighting unit according to claim 18 , wherein each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings is coupled in series with a respective electronically controlled switch, said respective electronically controlled switch arranged to alternately, responsive to said detector, allow the flow of a sufficient current through the respective light emitting diode string to produce an optical output of said particular one of said plurality of colors, and block the flow of said sufficient current through the respective light emitting diode string, and wherein said detector is arranged to pulse width modulate each of said plurality of light emitting diode strings via said respective electronically controlled switch to thereby adjust said color output.