Abstract:
Boom-type barrier ( 1 ) comprising a boom ( 2 ) mounted on a bracket or stand ( 3 ) for movement between open and barring positions. The boom ( 2 ) is designed as a tubular member transmissive of light and has therein a band ( 7 ) on which are mounted light emitting diodes ( 6 ) extending substantially the full length of the boom ( 2 ). The light emitting diodes ( 6 ) are controlled by an electronics module ( 12 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a boom barrier having a boom mounted on a bracket or stand for movement between an open and barring (closed) position. 
         [0002]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,461 discloses a vehicle barrier having a boom with LEDs that emit red and green light so as to indicate the open and barred positions. The LEDs are easily damaged. For this reason, they are fastened on the boom in mutually separated positions and are therefore not clearly visible in their entirety. Also, they are only visible from one side of the boom. 
     
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A principal object of the present invention is to provide an LED-equipped boom which is conspicuously and easily visible. 
         [0004]    This object, as well as other objects which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, according to the invention, by providing a boom barrier having a tubular member that is transmissive of light. The boom may be a linear continuous tubular member or may comprise two or more tubular sections that are articulated with respect to each other so as to be bendable. 
         [0005]    The light-transmissible tubular member may be transparent or opaque; i.e., translucent. Preferably the tubular member consists of a plastic material such as polyester or polycarbonate and, especially, of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. 
         [0006]    In accordance with the invention, the band equipped with the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) may comprise a flexible tube or hose or an LED light strip; e.g., a rigid or flexible circuit board. The LEDs may be of a single color but preferably they are multicolored or so-called red/green/blue LEDs or RGB LEDs. 
         [0007]    In accordance with the invention, the LED-equipped band extends substantially along the length of the boom; i.e., along at least three quarters of the length thereof. The LEDs may be spaced—e.g., from 1 cm to 10 cm—in the long direction of the boom. 
         [0008]    To enable the LED band to be inserted in the tubular boom, at least one end of the latter—i.e., preferably the end thereof opposite the mounting bracket or post—is adapted to be sealed by means of a cap, a plug or the like. 
         [0009]    In accordance with the invention, the LEDs are controlled by means of an electronics module. The electronics module is preferably designed to enable the LEDs to be controlled to operate in a variety of modes. Where RGB LEDs are used, the colors may be programmed to be manually adjustable or variable so as to produce the different color operating modes. To this end, the electronics module may be provided with switches or like actuating members. The RGB LEDs may be controlled to emit light of any color desired. Also, the electronics module may control the LEDs to work as chaser lights or to flash. 
         [0010]    The boom barrier, according to the invention, may be provided with means for detecting the boom position, to ascertain whether the boom is in the open position, the closed position or any intermediate position. Such means may be integrated into the electronics module, for example. 
         [0011]    In this way, a traffic-light mode may be possible. In other words, the LEDs emit red light when the boom is closed and green light when the boom is open. Using the RGB LEDs, a change of color from red via, orange and/or yellow, to green may be possible. 
         [0012]    Advantageously, the boom barrier according to the invention has a proximity sensor disposed inside the boom to input signals to the electronic module through the mounting bracket, for example, such as an induction loop embedded in a roadway surface to operate as vehicle proximity sensor. 
         [0013]    In this way, it is possible to design the electronics module to control the LEDs in the traffic-light mode—with the aforesaid color-change scheme, if desired—if the proximity sensor detects a vehicle while the LEDs are operating in another color mode as in a company parking lot showing the enterprise&#39;s corporate identity colors. 
         [0014]    The boom may be mounted on the stand or bracket for horizontal displacement. Normally, it is articulated to the bracket for pivoting about a horizontal axis. 
         [0015]    In addition to the LED band, the electronics module may be disposed inside the tubular boom and preferably in a non-visible area thereof; i.e., in the area of the bearing shell which is used to secure the boom on the stud or stub axle of the bracket or stand. 
         [0016]    The power supply, such as a battery, may be disposed inside the boom as well. Preferably, power is supplied to the electronics module inside the boom through the bracket or stand. To this end, the stub shaft may be provided on the end face turned towards the bearing shell with a power supply board to which the external power leads are connected, with the power supply board communicating through contacts with a control board disposed in the opposite face end of the bearing shell. 
         [0017]    The contacts may be formed as sectors of a circle relative to the pivoting axis, or as sectors of a circle on one of the circuit boards, for example. They may be spring-biased contact pins in point form, for example, on the other circuit boards, such as the power supply board. 
         [0018]    It is equally possible to provide the electronics module in or on the bracket or stand, which is advantageous in that the electronics module will not be damaged if the boom is destroyed by a vehicle, for example. 
         [0019]    In this case, the power supply board and the control board may have additional contacts to control the LEDs inside the boom by means of the electronics module housed in the bracket. 
         [0020]    For a full understanding of the present invention, reference should now be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a barrier with the boom in the closed position and having portions broken away. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a section through the boom and its mounting structure, taken along the line II-II of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a section taken along the line III-III of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are plan views of the power supply board and the contact board, respectively, of the structure shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-5  of the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are designated with the same reference numerals. 
         [0026]    In accordance with  FIGS. 1 to 3 , barrier  1  comprises a boom  2  mounted on a stand or bracket  3  for pivoting about a horizontal axis normal to the direction of vehicle travel. Barrier  1  may be a parking barrier located at the entrance or exit of a parking lot. 
         [0027]    Boom  2  has disposed therein a band  7  in the form of a printed-circuit board mounting LEDs  6 . The band  7  and the LEDs shown in phantom in  FIG. 1  extends the full length of boom  2 , i.e., from socket  8 , which attaches boom  2  to bracket  3 , to the free end of boom  2 , which is sealed by means of a plug  9 . 
         [0028]    Guide  11  is provided in boom  2  for fixing band  7  in place, which guide may be translucent or transparent and be made of the same material as wall  5  of the tubular boom. LEDs  6  in band  7 , which may comprise RGB LEDs, are controlled by means of an electronics module  12  housed in the area of socket  8  inside the tubular member forming boom  2 . At its bottom, boom  2  has a lip  13  consisting of a rubber-elastic material. 
         [0029]    Socket  8  is formed by two shell halves  14 ,  15  clamping between them the tube of which boom  2  consists. Halves  14 ,  15  are secured together by threaded bolts  16 ,  17 . Shell half  14  of socket  8  forms the bearing shell by means of which boom  2  is connected non-rotationally to axle or stud  18 , which extends into bearing shell  14 . 
         [0030]    For non-rotating connection are provided threaded bolts  19 ,  20  extending through bearing shell  14  and stub axle  18  in a radial direction. For opening boom  2 , axle or stud  18  is driven by a motor (not shown) housed in bracket  3 . On the face end turned towards socket  8 , stub shaft  18  mounts a power supply board  22  provided with spring-biased contact pins  23 ,  24 ,  25  as shown particularly in  FIG. 4 . Contacts  23  form the +12V or +24V terminal, contact  25  is grounded and contact  24  is used as a boom fracture sensor. The power supply leads in bracket  3  to contacts  23 ,  25  are referred to as “ 26 ” and are run to board  22  through a coaxial bore  21  in stud  18 . The loads from the boom fracture sensor are referred to as “ 35 ”. 
         [0031]    Opposite power supply board  22 , bearing shell  14  has therein a printed-circuit contact board  27  having two sector-shaped contacts  28 ,  29  coaxially disposed on disc-shaped board  27 . 
         [0032]    Sector-shaped contact  28  communicates with point contact  23  and sector-shaped contact  29  with the pair of point-shaped contacts  24 ,  25 . In other words, in the normal case, contact  29  interconnects contacts  24 ,  25  of power supply board  22 . If boom  2  is displaced by being tilted forwards by a vehicle, for example, the connection is interrupted to signal a boom fracture condition. 
         [0033]    Through leads  31 ,  32 , which are run through coaxial opening  36  and an opening aligned therewith in bearing shell  14 , contacts  28 ,  29  are connected with electronics module. With the electronics module disposed in bracket  3 , additional contacts  33 ,  34  (shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) are provided on power supply board  22  and contact board  22 , respectively, for controlling LEDs  6 . Instead of sectors of a circle, other planar shapes of contacts  28 ,  29 ,  34  are possible and connected to point contacts  23  to  25  and  33 . 
         [0034]    There has thus been shown and described a novel boom barrier which fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which follow.