Development of the control system for stage sets equipped with the self-checking and counteracting functions

Abstract

A typical proscenium stage that provides performance services can be divided into auditorium, stage, upper stage set, bottom stage set and back stage. Among them, the upper stage set is equipped with various curtains, lighting devices, a backdrop, and national flag while the heavy set that is difficult to be installed in the upper stage is installed in the bottom stage, which helps switching the entire stage instantly according to the scene transition. Lighting devices that may be used accessorily in performances are installed in the back stage. There are various stage sets for performance in types and scales, ranging from those for small scale stages such as school halls to those for large scale stages including big theaters. For performances to run seamlessly on such a variety of stages, various stage sets should operate smoothly without failure. However, the reality on stage is that many troubles happen including the delay of performance due to minor faults in the upper stage sets and more serious accidents such as heavy damages to stage sets leading to casualties. In this study, a control system on the upper stage sets has been developed, which can check faults in stage mechanical sets using a self-checking function and has an auxiliary control function that can operate instead of faulted parts in case that faults in the stage equipment occurs.