Abstract:
A pylon is provided for providing visual signals to race participants. The pylon includes a base. A shell is carried on the base. The shell is formed having an outer wall surrounding an internal chamber. The internal chamber includes a wedge-shaped portion which carries a wedge-shaped luminaire. An upwardly-extending tube is carried by the base. The tube is nested within the internal chamber and carries the shell. A power source is provided which provides electricity to the luminaire. A wireless transmitter is provided which is used by a user to turn the luminaire on and off, which luminaire provides visual signals to the race participants.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/683,341, filed Aug. 15, 2012, which application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In motorsports various visual signals are used to provide indications to the racers of the status of the race, such as signaling the start of the race, signaling caution, signaling a final lap, and other similar signals. Traditionally, these signals have been provided by colored flags waved by flagmen. To be effective, the flagmen need to be positioned proximate the racing surface so that the flag is readily visible to the racers. With the flagmen positioned proximate to the racing surface, the risk of injury to the flagmen increases. As such, an improved signaling system is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure describes a signaling system which provides information to racers regarding the status of the race, such as when the race is under caution. The present disclosure describes a pylon which is positionable on or near the racing surface, which pylon includes a series of lights that provide a visual indication informing the racers of the current status of the race, such as when the race is beginning, is under caution, or any number of other signals related to the race. The pylon is formed in such a way that it is sufficiently durable, that it can withstand contact with a racing vehicle without being excessively damaged, and is sufficiently yielding that it will minimize damage to a racing vehicle or injury to a racer on impact. The pylon is remotely operated such that a user need not be in the immediate proximity of the pylon to operate the signal system, thereby increasing the safety of the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of this invention has been chosen wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the pylon of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the pylon of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a back view of the pylon of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the outer cover and the pylon encased in the inner cover; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the pylon showing the constituent parts of the shell and the inner cover; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional side view of the pylon of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the pylon of  FIG. 6  as taken along the line  7 - 7 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the pylon of  FIG. 6  as taken along the line  8 - 8 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the pylon of  FIG. 6  as taken along the line  9 - 9 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view of an alternative base configuration of the pylon. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present disclosure describes a pylon  10  suitable for providing a visual signal. In one application, the visual signal provided by the pylon  10  is used to inform racers of the current status of a race. The pylon  10  is formed from two constituent sections: a support structure and a body. The support structure is defined by a base  12  and a tube  14  extending upwardly from the base. The body is defined by a shell  16 , and constituent electronic parts including one or more luminaires  18 . The tube  14 , as described in greater detail below, is adapted for supporting the shell  16  in a generally upright position above the base  12 , such that together the support structure and the body form a free-standing pylon. 
     The base  12  serves to hold the pylon  10  in an upright, free-standing, position. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the base  12  defines the bottom end of the pylon  10  and supports the remainder of the pylon  10 . The base  12  has a wide lower end  20  and tapers to a narrower upper end  22 . The lower end  20  serves as the base, or foot, of the pylon  10 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the tube  14  extends from the upper end  22  of the base  12  and supports the shell  16 . A support member  24  extends upwardly from the upper end  22  of the base  12 , and the tube  14  sheathes around the support member  24 , such that an interference fit is formed between the outer surface of the support member  24  and the inner surface of the tube  14  to hold the tube  14  in an upright position. The upper end  22  of the base  12  also includes a flat section  26  on which the shell  16  rests. The flat section  26  is generally parallel with the lower end  20  and is spaced radially outwardly from the support member  24 . In one configuration, an adhering device  28 , such as a hook-and-loop fastener is positioned on the flat section  26  in order to aid in retaining the shell  16  in contact with base  12  and to restrict rotation of the shell  16  about the tube  14 . In one configuration, the base  12  is weighted so as to provide ballast to the pylon  10  (this ballast could come from the weight of the materials of the base  12 , or the base  12  could be hollow and filled with water, sand or other suitable medium to provide ballast). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the shell  16  is a generally cylindrically-shaped column defined by a wall  30  which defines an inner chamber  32 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , in one configuration, the shell  16  is formed from three separate sections, a first section  34 , a second section  36 , and a third section  38  which are stacked together one on top of one another, with first section  34  on the bottom and third section  38  on the top, to form the shell  16  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Forming the shell  16  in separate sections  34 ,  36 ,  38  aids in the machining process which forms the various areas of the chamber  32 . Referring to the first section  34 , the inner chamber  32  is shaped as a space defined by the intersection of a cylinder and a cuboid, which forms a keyhole-type shape where the cylinder-shaped section is sized to encircle the tube  14  and the cuboid-shaped section is sized to house a power supply  40 , such as a battery. Referring to the second section  36 , the inner chamber  32  is cylinder-shaped and sized to encircle the tube  14 . Referring to the third section  38 , the inner chamber  32  optionally includes a series of sub-chambers to accommodate the tube  14 , a transmitter  42  and one or more luminaires  18 , as shown in cross-section in  FIG. 6 . The sub-chamber which houses the transmitter  42  is a cuboid which is shaped to closely surround the transmitter in order to retain the transmitter in place within the chamber  32  and includes a smaller cylindrical offshoot to house an antenna which extends from the transmitter  42 . The sub-chamber which holds one of luminaries  18  is shaped generally as a trapezoidal prism, where one of the rectangular faces of the prism forms an opening in the wall  30  to allow luminaire  18  to emit light outwardly from the shell  16 .  FIG. 7  shows a top view of the third section  38  showing the sub-chamber which houses luminaire  18  and shows the trapezoidal-shape of the sub-chamber. The luminaire  18  is also shaped as a trapezoidal prism and nests tightly within the luminaire sub-chamber of the chamber  32 , wherein the width of the luminaire  18  increases as spaced away from the light-emitting end of the luminaire. The trapezoidal shape of the sub-chamber fits tightly around luminaire  18  and the angled, or wedge-shaped, sides of the trapezoid serve to hold the luminaire in the chamber; due to the angles of the sides of the sub-chamber, and the corresponding angled sides of the luminaire, the luminaire is restrained from exiting out of the opening of the wall  30  through which the luminaire emits light. The trapezoidal sub-chambers are connected to the other portions of the inner chamber  32  by openings or pathways which carry the wiring which connects the luminaires  18  to the other components of the electrical system, such as the transmitter  42  and the power supply  40 . The inner chamber  32  of the upper section  38  also includes a cylinder-shaped area for housing the upper section of the tube  14  and a cuboid area which extends from the cylinder-shaped area which houses the transmitter  42 . The cylinder-shaped area and cuboid-shaped area together define a keyhole-shaped area. In sum, each of the sub-chambers described as parts of shell sections  34 ,  36 ,  38  together forms the chamber  32  and house the constituent elements. A plug  68  is removably situated at the keyhole-shaped area formed in the upper end of the third section  38  of the shell  16  and caps the top end of the chamber  32 . The plug  68  is removable to allow access to the chamber  32  and the electrical system. The plug  68  is keyhole-shaped so as to fit snuggly in a keyhole-shaped opening above the chamber  32 . The plug  68  sits flush within the shell  16  such that the pylon  10  has a flat upper surface. 
     Referring now to the wiring system of the pylon  10 , the power supply  40  provides power to both the transmitter  42  and luminaire  18 . The transmitter  42  communicates wirelessly with a remote transmitter, such as a remote control (not shown) operated by a user; as such a user is able to remotely operate the systems within the pylon  10 , such as turning the luminaires on and off, changing the color of the light emitted from the luminaires, and other similar features. The power supply  40  is also electrically connected to a circuit breaker, or switch  44 , which is held on the outside of the pylon  10 . The switch  44  is used to turn the systems held within the pylon  10  on and off such as by opening the circuit between the power supply  40  and the transmitter  42  and/or opening the circuit between the power supply  40  and the luminaire  18 . 
     The wiring system of the pylon  10  is adapted to perform many functions which provide signals to racers in a safe manner. One such feature is that each luminaire  18  is controllable independently of the other luminaires. Another such feature is that each luminaire  18  can be toggled to emit different colors, such as green to start the race or yellow for caution, or any other color, or color combination as is suitable given the race conditions. A similar feature is that each luminaire  18  is suitable for displaying a steady stream of light, or an intermittent or flashing light as directed by the user. The transmitter  42  is suitable for communicating with a remote system, such that the electrical system can be activated and modified from a safe distance. In one configuration, each pylon corresponds to a user who has a remote control for controlling a single pylon. In another configuration, in addition to each individual user, there is also a master control capable of controlling each pylon for a given race. In a further configuration, the transmitter  42  of one pylon will be able to relay a signal to the transmitter of another pylon, such that when a feature is activated or deactivated on one pylon, the other pylon responds (for example, if one pylon is ordered to display a “caution” signal, the other pylons will also receive a signal to display a “caution” signal). In one configuration, the above features of the wiring system are effectuated by a computer board integrated with the transmitter  42 , which board translates a received wireless signal to a signal which switches the luminaires  18  on or off, changes their color, or performs other functions. 
     The electrical system described herein is designed to withstand the abuse of a race, such that when the pylon  10  is impacted by a vehicle, the wiring system will remain protected. One way the electrical system is protected is by being housed within the shell  16 . The wall  30  of the shell  16  is preferably formed from foam, such that it serves as padding for the electrical system. Another way the electrical system is protected during impact is through use of extra wiring. The lengths of wire used to connect various components of the electrical system, such as the wire which connects the transmitter  42  to the power supply  40 , are longer than are required to span the distance between them. The wire is preferably 1.5-5 times longer than the distance between the components of the electrical system, more preferably 2-3 times longer than the distance between the components of the electrical system. As such, if the pylon breaks or ruptures on impact, the extra lengths of wire will unwind and allow the parts of the pylon to move away from one another without straining the wire, thereby lowering the chance the wiring will be damaged during an impact. A further way the electrical system is protected during impact is through use of quick-disconnect wiring connections, such that when a wire is pulled in tension, the quick-disconnect wiring connections will readily detach from the connected part (such as the luminaire  18 , the transmitter  42  or the power supply  40 ); the wiring will readily detatch rather than break, stretch or otherwise damage the wire. In this way, even if various parts of the electrical system move away from one another during impact a distance longer than the extra span of wire, the wire will detach rather than break. 
     The shell  16  is encased by an inner cover  46  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The inner cover  46  surrounds the shell  16 , and is made of a sufficiently durable material to protect the shell  16  and the associated parts should the pylon  10  be impacted, such as by a racer. The inner cover  46  provides at least two types of protection: first, the inner cover  46  serves to contain the shell  16  and the associated parts at impact, and second, the inner cover  46  helps protect the shell  16  from cuts or scrapes and similar damage during impact. The inner cover  46  includes a window  48  which allows the light emitted from the luminaires  18  to pass through the inner cover  46 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the inner cover  46  includes an opening through which the shell  16  is inserted into the inner cover  46 . The inner cover  46  also includes an opening above the plug  68 , such that the plug  68  can be removed from the pylon  10  without removing the inner cover  46 . Removal of the plug  68  allows access to the various components carried within the pylon  10 . 
     An outer cover  50  encases the inner cover  46 . The outer cover  50  provides a second level of protection to the shell  16 . It is contemplated that the outer cover  50  will be adorned with logos, designs or advertising materials. The outer cover  50  includes fasteners and openings whereby the outer cover  50  is readily removable and replaceable from the pylon  10  so as to allow ready customization of the outer appearance of the pylon  10 . The outer cover  50  also includes a window  52  which, when both the inner cover  46  and the outer cover  50  are installed on the shell  16 , aligns with the window  48  of the inner cover  46  to allow light to emit from luminaire  18  to the exterior of the pylon  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , in one configuration the support structure incorporates a magnetic base defined by a magnet  54 , a support plate  56 , an anchor  58  and a fastener  60 . The anchor  58  forms an interference fit within the tube  14  and the fastener  60  sandwiches the magnet  54  between the anchor  58  and the support plate  56 , thereby holding the magnet  54  to the bottom end of the tube  14 . The support plate  56  is essentially a washer positioned below the magnet  54 , and the support plate  56  forms a compression fit against the magnet  54  by the fastener  60 . The magnet  54  is disc-shaped and includes an aperture which allows the fastener  60  to pass through the magnet. The anchor  58  is defined by an upper plate  62 , a lower plate  64  and a compression member  66 , where compression member is sandwiched between the upper plate  62  and the lower plate  64 . Each of the upper plate  62 , the lower plate  64  and the compression member  66  include apertures passing therethrough for accepting the fastener  60 . When the fastener  60  is tightened, the upper plate  62  advances in the direction of the support plate  56 , thereby compressing the compression member  66 , which in turn causes the compression member  66  to deform in a way that causes the radius of the compression member  66  to increase such that the outer wall of the compression member  66  forms an interference fit with the inner wall of the tube  14 . With the magnetic base fitted to the lower end of the pylon  10 , the pylon is held at a specific location on a racing surface by driving a ferrous spike, or similar magnetic object, into the racing surface and positioning the pylon above the spike such that the magnet is held in position by magnetic attraction to the spike. 
     One feature that helps prevent damage to the pylon  10  is that when the pylon  10  is impacted it is freely movable, such that on impact the pylon will translate the force of impact into motion. In the configuration with the ballast base, the base is not attached to the track in any way, and is held in place only by gravity. In this embodiment, when the pylon  10  is impacted, the pylon is freely movable. In the configuration with the magnetic base, the base is held by magnetic attraction to a spike driven into the track. In this embodiment, when the pylon  10  is impacted, the pylon is designed to come loose from the track in one of two ways. First, the magnet is designed to be strong enough to hold the pylon in place, but weak enough to come free from the spike when the pylon is impacted. Second, the anchor holds the magnetic base to the tube by an interference fit that is designed to release when a sufficient force is applied to the pylon. In this way, when experiencing an impact, either the magnet or the anchor will give way, whichever requires less force, to allow the pylon to freely move relative the racing surface. 
     It is understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. No specific limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Modifications may be made to the disclosed subject matter as set forth in the following claims.