Patent ID: 6175313
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: G08G

Abstract:
An attachment to a traffic light apparatus for visual indication of current traffic light signal duration comprising:a stationary housing which contains display means for reproducing a visual image with the surface area being reduced substantially in proportion with the time remaining till switching of said current traffic light signal to another traffic light signal;wherein said housing has a window seen simultaneously with said current traffic light signal, and wherein said display means comprises:a drum having a hub portion, a cylindrical peripheral surface, and radial nontransparent partitions which divide the interior of said drum at least into two angular sectors;means for rotatingly supporting said drum in said stationary housing;illumination means attached to a stationary part of said stationary housing so that said illumination means remains stationary as said drum rotates;said angular sectors having peripheral surfaces formed by portions of said cylindrical peripheral surface, said peripheral surfaces of said angular sectors having transparent portions of different colors corresponding to the colors of said traffic light signals, said visual image being formed by said transparent portions and is illuminated by said illumination means; andmeans for rotating said drum so that said visual image is seen through said window with the surface area gradually decreasing substantially in proportion with the time remaining till switching of said current traffic light signal to the next traffic light signal, so that at the moment of switching of said current traffic light signal said surface area of said visual image becomes equal to zero while the visual image of a color corresponding to the next traffic signal appears in said window in its full size.