WO2014032080A1 - Vehicle safety light - Google Patents
Vehicle safety light Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2014032080A1 WO2014032080A1 PCT/AU2013/000935 AU2013000935W WO2014032080A1 WO 2014032080 A1 WO2014032080 A1 WO 2014032080A1 AU 2013000935 W AU2013000935 W AU 2013000935W WO 2014032080 A1 WO2014032080 A1 WO 2014032080A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- light
- vehicle safety
- vehicle
- safety light
- housing
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
- B60Q1/2611—Indicating devices mounted on the roof of the vehicle
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
- B60Q1/2696—Mounting of devices using LEDs
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a vehicle safety light of the kind used on vehicles to temporarily warn others in the vicinity of a potential hazard and relates particularly, although not exclusively, to such a vehicle safety light for use on mine sites.
- flashing lights are often required to be left on once a vehicle engine is switched off, resulting in one of two potentially hazardous situations: 1.
- the flashing light runs the vehicle battery flat making the vehicle inoperable; or PU 1/AU2U13/UUU9 5
- the present invention was developed with a view to providing an improved vehicle safety light which is less susceptible to at least some of the above- noted disadvantages of the prior art.
- a vehicle safety light comprising: a light housing including a lens and a base adapted for mounting on the roof of a vehicle; a light source mounted in the housing and adapted to generate a flashing light signal visible through the lens; a rechargeable battery mounted in the housing for supplying electrical power to the light source; a control circuit provided in the housing and operatively connected to the light source and the rechargeable battery for controlling operation of the light source.
- the vehicle safety light is also adapted to be connected to a vehicle battery and the control circuit is designed to switch the power supplied to the light source from the vehicle battery while the vehicle engine is running, and to switch the power supplied to the light source from the rechargeable battery when the vehicle engine is not running.
- the control circuit also controls recharging of the rechargeable battery from the vehicle battery while the vehicle engine is running.
- the light source is adapted to generate the flashing light signal in a plurality of different colours selectable by the user.
- the light source is adapted to generate the flashing light signal in three different colours.
- the control circuit also controls a plurality of different flashing sequences for the flashing light signal selectable by the user.
- the plurality of flashing sequences includes three different flashing speeds (frequencies) and the option of blinking or rotating.
- the light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted in an array.
- the array of LEDs is mounted on a LED mounting panel.
- the LED mounting panel is one of a plurality of substantially identical LED mounting panels arranged within the light housing so as to face in different directions.
- Preferably plurality of LED mounting panels is arranged within the light housing in a polygonal arrangement when viewed in plan. In a preferred embodiment five LED mounting panels are arranged in pentagonal arrangement.
- the plurality of LED mounting panels is fixed to a support panel.
- the support panel is a printed circuit board (PCB) fixed to the base of the light housing.
- each LED mounting panel has the plurality of LEDs mounted in a uniform array, the plurality of LEDs on each panel including a plurality of groups of LEDs of respective different colours.
- the plurality of LEDs is mounted in a rectangular array comprising a respective plurality of columns and rows of LEDs, each column of LEDs corresponding to one of the groups of LEDs of a respective different colour.
- the vehicle safety light further comprises a built-in reversing beacon operatively connected to the control circuit for signalling an audible alarm when the vehicle is reversing.
- the reversing beacon also includes a built-in microphone to monitor the ambient background noise, and T _
- control circuit adjusts the volume of the alarm accordingly to a level that best suits the environment it is operating in.
- the base comprises a base housing having a control panel moulded into a side wall thereof.
- the control panel has a plurality of control buttons co-moulded into the base housing.
- the base housing also includes a series of light pipes which channel light to the control panel to provide a visual indication of the operation of vehicle safety light.
- the vehicle safety light further comprises a battery level indicator which provides a visual indication when the rechargeable battery is low in charge.
- Figure 1 is top perspective view of a first embodiment of a housing for a vehicle safety light according to the present invention
- Figure 2 is an exploded view of the vehicle safety light housing of Figure 1 ; PU l/AUZU13 UUUy 5
- Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are top perspective views of first and second embodiments of a base cover for the vehicle safety light housing of Figure 1 ;
- Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are a side elevation and bottom plan view respectively of the vehicle safety light housing of Figure 1 ;
- Figure 5 is a functional block diagram for a preferred embodiment of the vehicle safety light according to the present invention.
- Figure 6 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a light source for the vehicle safety light according to the present invention.
- Figure 7 is bottom perspective view of a base panel for the light source of Figure 6.
- a preferred embodiment of vehicle safety light 10 in accordance with the invention comprises a light housing 12 including a lens 14 and a base 16 adapted for mounting on the roof of a vehicle (not shown).
- a light source 18 (see Figure 6) is mounted in the housing 12 and is adapted to generate a flashing light signal visible through the lens 14.
- a rechargeable battery 20 is also mounted in the housing 12 for supplying electrical power to the light source 18.
- a control circuit 22 is provided in the housing 12 and is operatively connected to the light source 18 and the rechargeable battery 20 for controlling operation of the light source (see Figure 5).
- the vehicle safety light 10 is adapted to be connected to a vehicle battery (not shown) and the control circuit 22 is designed to switch the power supplied to the light source 18 from the vehicle battery while the vehicle engine is running, and to switch the power supplied to the light source 18 from the rechargeable battery when the vehicle engine is not running.
- control circuit 22 also controls recharging of the rechargeable battery 20 from the vehicle battery while the vehicle engine is running.
- the light source 18 is adapted to generate the flashing light signal under the control of control circuit 22 in a plurality of different colours selectable by the user.
- the light source 18 is adapted to generate the flashing light signal in three different colours.
- the control circuit 22 also controls a plurality of different flashing sequences for the flashing light signal selectable by the user.
- the plurality of flashing sequences includes three different flashing speeds (frequencies) and the option of blinking or rotating.
- the control circuit 22 automatically selects a different flashing speed depending on whether the power supplied to the light source 18 is from the built-in rechargeable battery 20 or from the vehicle battery, in order to conserve power.
- the housing 12 of the vehicle safety light 10 comprises generally cylindrical lens 4 made of translucent material for dispersing light generated by the light source 18 into the immediate vicinity of a vehicle on which vehicle safety light 10 is mounted.
- Both the lens 14 and base 16 are typically made from suitably strong plastics materials formed by injection moulding.
- the lens 14 is fixed to the base 16 either by ultrasonic welding, gluing or spin welding to create a watertight bond between them.
- the base 16 comprises a base housing 24 having a base cover 26 and an internal divider 28.
- the base housing 24 also has a control panel 30 moulded into a side wall thereof, as can be seen most clearly in Figure 4(a).
- the control panel 30 has three control buttons 32 co-moulded into the base housing 24.
- One button 32a is an ON/OFF switch for the vehicle safety light 10
- a second button 32b is used to select a mode or flashing light sequence
- a third button 32c is used to select a colour.
- the base housing 24 also includes a series of light pipes 34 which channel light to the control panel 30 to provide a visual indication of the operation of vehicle safety light.
- the light pipes 34 are also ultrasonically welded or glued into the base housing 24 to create a watertight seal.
- the vehicle safety light 10 is also provided with a battery level indicator, which provides a visual indication when the rechargeable battery 20 is low in charge.
- Two versions of the base cover 26 are illustrated in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) respectively.
- the first version 26a, shown in Figure 3(a) (and in Figure 4(b)) is a base cover for a siren version of the vehicle safety light 10.
- the second version of the base cover 26b is for an "In- Cab" version of the vehicle safety light 10. It has no centre opening or cable entry.
- VSL vehicle safety light
- the light source 18 comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 44 mounted in an array on a rectangular LED mounting panel 46 (see Figure 6).
- the rectangular LED mounting panel 46 is one of a plurality of substantially identical LED mounting panels 46 arranged within the light housing 12 so as to face in different directions.
- the plurality of LED mounting panels is preferably arranged within the light housing 12 in a polygonal arrangement when viewed in plan.
- five LED mounting panels 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d and 46e are arranged in pentagonal arrangement.
- the plurality of LED mounting panels 46 is fixed to a support panel 48.
- the hollow space formed within the pentagonal arrangement of the LED mounting panels 46 can be used to house the rechargeable battery 20.
- the support panel 48 is a printed circuit board (PCB) which is mounted in the base housing 24.
- PCB 48 is of generally circular configuration to fit inside the follow confines of the base housing 24.
- Four holes 50 are provided in the PCB 48 for attaching the PCB to the internal divider 28 (see Figure 2).
- the various electronic components of the control circuit 22 are mounted on the underside of the PCB 48, including three switches 52a, 52b and 52c which align with the three control buttons 32a, 32b and 32c respectively on the control panel 30 on the side wall of the base housing 24.
- each LED mounting panel 46 has the plurality of LEDs 44 mounted in a uniform array, the plurality of LEDs 44 on each panel including a plurality of groups of LEDs 44 of respective different colours.
- the plurality of LEDs 44 is mounted in a rectangular array comprising a respective plurality of columns and rows of LEDs.
- Each column of LEDs 44 corresponds to one of the groups of LEDs of a respective different colour, i.e. in this case there are three columns of LEDs 44, corresponding to the colours orange, blue and red.
- the vehicle safety light further comprises a built-in reversing beacon 60 operatively connected to the control circuit for signalling when the vehicle is reversing.
- the reversing beacon 60 includes an audible reversing alarm 62.
- the reversing beacon 60 has a built-in microphone 64 to monitor the ambient background noise, and the control circuit 22 adjusts the volume of the alarm 62 accordingly to a level that best suits the environment it is operating in. This will be beneficial in situations such as a mine site where large heavy equipment is operating and a loud reversing beacon is necessary. But if the same vehicle is operating in an urban environment, a quieter alarm is more suitable.
- the control circuit 22 will also automatically select an appropriate flashing sequence for the light source 18 when the reversing beacon 60 is activated.
- the built-in rechargeable battery avoids the problems associated with accidental run-down of the vehicle battery when the vehicle is not running.
- the built-in reversing beacon combines two devices in one reducing costs and the inconvenience of separate installations.
- the LEDs employed as the light source provide a low-power flashing light with various colours and sequences easily provided in the one unit.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
- Arrangements Of Lighting Devices For Vehicle Interiors, Mounting And Supporting Thereof, Circuits Therefore (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU2013308375A AU2013308375A1 (en) | 2012-08-31 | 2013-08-23 | Vehicle safety light |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU2012903781A AU2012903781A0 (en) | 2012-08-31 | Vehicle Safety Light | |
AU2012903781 | 2012-08-31 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2014032080A1 true WO2014032080A1 (en) | 2014-03-06 |
Family
ID=50182242
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/AU2013/000935 WO2014032080A1 (en) | 2012-08-31 | 2013-08-23 | Vehicle safety light |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (2) | AU2013221934A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014032080A1 (en) |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20080180238A1 (en) * | 2007-01-30 | 2008-07-31 | Paccar Inc | Vehicle signaling device having a remote power source |
US20100194556A1 (en) * | 2009-02-05 | 2010-08-05 | Larosa Tom F | Electronic lightbar warning device and method of use thereof |
US20100271802A1 (en) * | 2006-03-28 | 2010-10-28 | Recker Michael V | Wireless lighting devices and grid-shifting applications |
-
2013
- 2013-08-23 WO PCT/AU2013/000935 patent/WO2014032080A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-08-23 AU AU2013221934A patent/AU2013221934A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2013-08-23 AU AU2013308375A patent/AU2013308375A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100271802A1 (en) * | 2006-03-28 | 2010-10-28 | Recker Michael V | Wireless lighting devices and grid-shifting applications |
US20080180238A1 (en) * | 2007-01-30 | 2008-07-31 | Paccar Inc | Vehicle signaling device having a remote power source |
US20100194556A1 (en) * | 2009-02-05 | 2010-08-05 | Larosa Tom F | Electronic lightbar warning device and method of use thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2013221934A1 (en) | 2014-03-20 |
AU2013308375A1 (en) | 2015-03-12 |
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