Abstract:
A bicycle light system has front and rear (white and red) lights with mounting brackets to secure on a bicycle helmet. A battery is contained in the rear light casing, with an electrical cord extending between the front and rear light casings. The front light casing has controls for both front and rear lights, which can include different power levels and preferably a flash mode for the front light. The rear light can be separately controllable with a switch on the rear casing. 360° visibility preferably is provided via the front light, which projects colored light, such as amber, toward the sides. Helmet mountings for the front and rear light casings have a quick-release feature enabling the lights to be easily and quickly removed from the helmet, such as for recharging. For marine use appropriate light colors can be provided.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/799,082, filed Apr. 16, 2010 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,308, and issued Dec. 6, 2011 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,308. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns lighting for bicycles, and especially a compact set of front and rear lights to be mounted on the bicycle rider&#39;s helmet. 
     Bicycle riders have had a wide array of different options for night lighting, both to illuminate the path ahead and to warn those behind in vehicles or on other bicycles, using a red rear-facing light. These have included handlebar-mounted front lights, including high-powered lights connected to battery packs secured to bicycle frame bars, lower-powered head lamps that mount on handlebars with batteries contained in the light housing, and some lights provided for mounting on the rider&#39;s helmet. These helmet lights include bike lights marketed by Exposure Lights of West Sussex, England, under the name Joystick, and these have a helmet mounting for securing the flashlight-shaped light housing, containing a rechargeable battery, to the top center of a helmet. This is done with a bracket mounting configured to extend through a top center vent of the helmet with two opposed disc-like elements then screwed to draw them together to clamp onto the helmet. The flashlight casing has a rear port into which a connector can be secured to conduct power through a cord to a red rear light if desired. The red rear light is provided with a short cable and a VELCRO strap to secure directly to the helmet. These lights positioned at a high point on top of the rider&#39;s helmet put considerable weight at a high location, tending to make the helmet feel top heavy. The rider can feel the high center of gravity on the helmet, especially from the weight of batteries in the flashlight housing. In addition, this top projection on the helmet is subject to being damaged and knocked off the helmet by objects such as tree branches. Switch control of the light is not convenient when riding. Further, in a helmet with a center rib, as is most typical currently (rather than a center vent), the Exposure Light must be off-center because it must be positioned over a vent. 
     There is a need for an efficient, compact and lightweight helmet-mounted lighting system for bicycle riders, in which front and rear lights are mounted in low positions in the helmet, controls for light settings are conveniently accessible, and removal of the lights from the helmet is quick and efficient without requiring disconnection of mounting brackets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system of bicycle lighting of the invention includes front and rear lights connected by a cable and each being mountable on a bicycle helmet. The red rear light has a casing that contains a rechargeable battery (although it could be non-rechargeable) and is positioned at a low position at the rear of the helmet. The separate front light assembly, without battery, has a swivel-mounted casing (for up/down aim adjustment) on a base secured at a low position at the front of the helmet, and this casing includes the manual control for light power settings. The front lamp is powered by the rear casing battery, via the cable. 
     Mounting brackets for each of the front and rear lights are easily secured to opposite positions on the helmet and can remain in place, with the light casings themselves being quickly removable from the brackets for recharging or for security. The front mount includes a backing, enabling the front light to be mounted over either a rib or a vent of the helmet. 
     An important feature of the invention is that the primary weight of the light system is mounted low at the rear of the helmet, in the casing that holds the red rear lights, with the front light also mounted low on the helmet and powered through a cable connected to the rear of the casing. Controls are conveniently positioned on the front light, controlling both the front and rear lights as to power and flash status. Another important feature is that the front light includes an amber light providing side lighting toward both sides, thus providing for 360° visibility of the rider. The amber side light can also be included on the rear light. 
     The battery if rechargeable is conveniently recharged by quick removal of both lights from their mounting brackets and use of a micro USB cable for recharging, which can be a mobile phone recharging cable or the battery can be recharged from a computer using the same type of connection. The battery remains in the housing for charging. For charging, lights can be left on the helmet as well, since the recharge port is readily accessible when the lights are on the helmet. In one preferred embodiment the cable between front and rear connects to the rear housing with a USB plug into a USB port on the housing. For charging the cable is simply removed and a recharging cable is plugged into that same USB port. 
     The front and rear lights can easily be attached to the helmet even with the helmet on the user&#39;s head. The quick connect/disconnect attachments to the base allow for attachment by feel. 
     It is therefore among the objects of the invention to improve over prior night lights for bicycles, through the provision of a front and rear lighting system easily attachable to a helmet and mounted at low positions at front and rear of the helmet, with quick removal of the lights from the helmet, convenient recharging, and minimal total weight. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a profile view showing a bicycle helmet with the lighting system of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a front light of the lighting system. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view in perspective showing the front light assembly with its mounting base. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are perspective views showing attachment of the front light housing to its base in a quick-disconnect arrangement. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the rear light of the lighting system. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view indicating assembly of the rear light/battery housing to its mounting base. 
         FIGS. 6 ,  6 A and  6 B are exploded perspective and side views and a sectional view showing the back side of the rear light/battery casing to its base, with  FIG. 6B  showing the two components attached together. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view indicating components and assembly of the rear/light battery casing. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing the light apparatus of the invention on a kayaking helmet. 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevation view to show the light apparatus as worn on a headband. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a bicycle helmet  10  on which the lighting system  12  of the invention is mounted. The lighting system  12  includes a front-mounted forward light assembly  14  and a rear-mounted light assembly  16  that also contains a battery or batteries for both the front and rear lights. The rear light assembly  16  connects to the front light  14  by a small cable  18 . As seen in the drawing, each of the light assemblies has a housing or housing assembly  14   a ,  16   a , that connects to a base  20 ,  22 , respectively, these bases being secured by straps to the helmet  10 . The straps are passed through openings in the helmet at or near the front and rear, with the bases  20 ,  22  bearing against helmet structure between openings. The bases  20  and  22  are mounted at positions low on the helmet, for a low center of gravity, particularly the rear light assembly  16  that includes the battery or batteries, which are a large portion of the weight of the entire assembly  12 . The total weight of the lighting system in a preferred form is less than about 135 grams, more preferably less than about 130 grams, with most of the weight (about 70% to 75%) in the rear assembly  16 . The front light  14  is mounted approximately as far forward on the helmet as possible as determined by the vent opening configuration, thus as low as possible at front. Its light housing  14   a  pivotally adjusts within a vertical sagittal plane, on a transverse horizontal pivot axis  14   b . The rear light  16  is mounted against an angled, nearly vertical rear-facing tail surface  23  as present on a typical helmet, via vent openings at that location. In a preferred embodiment the center of gravity of the lighting system is about halfway up the height of the helmet, or lower, although the user can choose to place one or both of the lights higher if desired. 
     As illustrated in some of the other drawing figures, the front  14  and rear  16  light assemblies are quickly removable from their bases. In this preferred embodiment the rear housing  16   a  is simply pulled outwardly free of the base  22 , while at the front a lever  24  is pushed downwardly toward the helmet to enable sliding the forward light downward/forward to remove it. The assembly can thus be removed in a second or so, for charging via the rear housing  16   a  or for security against theft. 
       FIG. 2  shows a profile of the front light assembly  14 , showing the main housing or casing  14   a  as pivotally mounted at  14   b  on its release lever  24  (the term front light housing as used herein includes the casing and the release lever). The base  20 , to which the mounting lever  24  is attached, is shown without its strap. The front light  14  directs light forward but also preferably includes a side light  26  directing an amber colored light toward both sides. This side lighting can be provided by the same light source (preferably an LED) that provides the forward lighting. A switch button is at  36  on the top of the light housing, as discussed below. 
       FIG. 3  shows in an exploded view the major components of the front light assembly  14 . The drawing shows the front housing  14   a  with pivot connection  14   b  to the release lever or latch  24 , via a bearing hole  28  and a fastener  30 , washers  32  and a ratchet washer  34 . The housing receives a control switch button  36  that operates an internal switch by a switch button pusher  38  that also provides a tactile feedback to the user. All control of front and rear lights is via this switch button  36 , readily accessible by the user with the front light assembly  14  mounted at the front of the housing as shown in  FIG. 1 . In a preferred sequence of light settings the rear light (red) preferably always flashes, with the front light sequences being bright; dim; and flashing at the dim level. The amber light is on whenever the lights are on, and its source preferably is the main (white) LED. Holding the button down turns the lights off. 
     In another embodiment the rear light can be separately switched, to provide more options for rear light function. In this case the light system, including both lights, is switched on/off with the switch button  36  on the front light housing, but switches are also included on the rear light housing to allow the user to select between Flash/Pulse/Steady/OFF for the rear light. 
     Thus, when the system is powered the headlight comes on high and cycles to medium, low and flash, via further inputs with the button  36 . The rear light is also energized when the front light is on, but the user can turn it off or select an alternative mode, i.e. flash or pulse. This is discussed further below. 
       FIG. 3  also shows a printed circuit board  36  which includes an LED  38 , and amber side windows  40  through which a portion of the light from the LED  38  passes, for side lighting. These windows are seated in side window openings  42  of the housing. Other optics of the forward light are not shown but can be conventional. Note that for kayaking application, these side windows  40  can be red at port side and green at starboard side, rather than amber. In that application both the front headlight and the tail light would preferably be white. 
       FIG. 3 , along with  FIGS. 3A and 3B , also illustrates the interaction between the latching lever or release lever  24  and the base  20  for the front light. The latch lever has left and right upwardly extending hooks or locking barbs  44  that, along with the edges  46  of the lever latch  24 , slide under a pair of flanges  48  that are spaced out from a floor  50  of the base and form a slot for the lever, then snap up and latch against ends  48   a  of the flanges to hold the light housing in place on the base. A spring tab  51  angles up from the floor  50  to hold the lever  24  up in the locked position. Depressing of the end  24   a  of the lever, down toward the base floor  50 , releases the lever latch and the light casing from the base, allowing the housing to be slid out from the base. The rider has easy access to the lever  24 , as can be seen from  FIG. 1 . 
     At the back of the base  20  is a rubbery or elastomeric grip  20   a  for engaging the helmet. A strap  52  is indicated in the drawings. Preferably it is connected in an essentially fixed way to an opening  54  at one side of the base, passing through that opening and being stopped by an end stop  52   a  of the strap, then being looped around through the helmet at rear and coming forward through a slot on the opposite side, not visible in  FIG. 3  but directly adjacent to a strap locking post  55  over which one of the holes  52   b  of the strap can be engaged for appropriately tightening the base on the helmet.  FIGS. 3A and 3B  show the strap in place in the hole  54  with the end stop  52   a  engaging around the hole. A mount backer disc  56  with strap openings  58  can be provided for positioning on the inside of the helmet, to receive the strap  52  as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , for a helmet having a center vent rather than a center rib. Note also, the light assembly can be worn on a head strap (as for kayaking) using a head strap connected in this way, or slipped through the slot and another similar slot (not shown) on the other side of the base  20 . 
       FIG. 4  is a back view of the rear light/battery casing assembly  16 . In this preferred embodiment the rear light has three LEDs  60 , as seen in  FIG. 5  on a PC board  62 , projecting at  60  in  FIG. 4  surrounded by reflectors  64  and  65  (on a unitary body), which may be approximately parabolic depending on how broad an angle of rear projection is desired. Those reflectors preferably are shaped to project a beam having greater width than height. 
     Amber side light can be provided in the rear light assembly, as well as (or alternative to) the front. Side light LEDs  63  are shown on the PC board  62  in  FIG. 5  and discussed further in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
     A rear light switch can optionally be provided, as noted above, for control of the rear light. The main switch  36  on the front light assembly  14  energizes the rear light, but a rear light switch  66  can be provided for control of the rear light while powered by the main switch. The rear switch  66  is in a convenient location for finger operation. This will allow the user to select among Flash/Pulse/Steady/OFF for the tail light. 
       FIG. 5  shows a part of the rear light assembly in detail in exploded view, and  FIGS. 6 ,  6 A and  6 B show details.  FIG. 7  shows essentially the entire assembly of the rear light/battery casing  16 . A battery  68 , which can be a single cell lithium-ion battery, fits into the casing  16   a  at  70  (the battery could also be non-rechargeable, replaceable via access at the back of the casing (not shown)). The cable  18  fits into the housing  16   a  through a strain relief bushing  72 . 
       FIG. 5  shows the base  22 , indicating, along with  FIGS. 6 ,  6 A and  6 B, how the housing  16   a  connects with the base in a manner that allows quick release from the base. The base  22  includes four openings  74  and  76  for receiving the four locking tabs  78  fixed to the back side of the casing  16   a . The connection between the casing and the base  22  allows for different, 90° rotated orientations between the two components, with two of the base openings  76  only accommodating the locking tabs but not engaging with them. The openings  74 , shown at upper and lower positions in  FIG. 5  but which could be rotated to left and right positions (depending on the helmet), have spring tabs  74   a  that are mounted on plastic leaf springs  74   b  so that when the housing is pressed against the base two opposed locking tabs  78  of the housing snap over the spring-biased tabs  74   a  in the openings  74  and firmly retain the housing to the base. Adjacent to each of the spring locking tabs  74   a  is a slot  80  to receive a strap  82  that can have hook and loop fasteners so as to securely connect the base  22  to a helmet. Slots (not shown) can also be provided for a horizontally-inserted headband strap, as discussed below. A mount pad  83  of a flexible, conformed material fits into the front side (appearing rear in  FIG. 5 ) of the rear base  22 . It fits into spaces in that side of the base, as partly visible in  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 7  shows essentially the entire assembly of the rear light  16 , including the components described with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6  and also including a combined reflector body  16   b , a gasket  84 , a retro reflector  86  that seats against the reflector  16   b  and provides a retro reflector surrounding the LED lights, and a lens or window  88  (forming a part of the housing  16   a ). Machine screws  90  are shown, for passing through the back part of the housing  16   a , through the PC board  62  and connecting with the reflector body  16   b . The PC board  62  has a charging port (not shown) that extends to an opening at the bottom of the housing  16   a , preferably a micro USB charging port, the PC board being connected to the battery  68 . A charge port plug  92  is shown for assembly up into the housing  16   a , providing a rubbery flap  92   a  to cover the charging port. This allows the battery  68  to be charged with a standard cell phone charger or a micro USB cable connected to a computer. In another embodiment the USB port is at the top of the housing, in the position of  72 , providing a single connection port for receiving the cable  18  in use of the light assembly, and for removing that cable and inserting a micro USB charging plug for charging the battery. 
     As can be seen or envisioned from  FIG. 7 , the amber side light LEDs  63  on assembly can be positioned adjacent to small side reflectors  94  to project the side lighting as desired. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show the lighting assembly of the invention as worn on a kayaking or other sport helmet, and as worn directly on the head, with a head strap. In  FIG. 8  the front and rear lighting assemblies  14  and  16  are secured to a helmet  100  such as used for kayaking or other sports using the same bases as described above with regard to the bicycle helmet and similarly using straps to secure the bases to the helmet. The front light assembly  14  preferably is connected to the rear light assembly  16  by a cable as in the earlier embodiment, but the cable is not shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Some helmets may not have convenient structure for the strap attachment to the helmet as discussed above and indicated in  FIG. 8 . A simple VELCRO attachment can be used for such helmets, with one side of the VELCRO adhered to the helmet (each of front and rear), and the opposing VELCRO patches secured to the bases ( 20  or  22 , above) to removably attach the bases to the helmet. Note that the clips described above will allow quick release of each of the front and rear light assemblies from the bases. 
       FIG. 9  shows the lighting system of the invention for use without a helmet, retained on the head of a user  102  by a head strap  104 . Again this can be for kayakers, who often do not wear helmets, or for other night sports or activities. As noted above, the front assembly  14  can be connected to the head strap  104  using the strap arrangement described above, or with two slots (left and right) on the base  20  that the strap can pass through. The rear assembly  16  can be attached similarly, or the rear housing  16   a  could be provided directly with slots through which the head strap can pass. For a lighting assembly of universal application, the rear base  22  can have provision for the strap, allowing the lighting system to be used in different mounting situations and conditions. As in  FIG. 8 , the electric cable connecting the front light assembly  14  with the rear light/battery assembly  16  is not shown in  FIG. 9 . If desired the cable could be replaced by conductors contained within the head strap, with an appropriate connection from each of the front and rear assemblies to the head strap. 
     Different color lighting can be used for kayaking or other night water activities, as noted above. The side windows  40  which preferably are amber for night bicycle riding can be red at the port side (left) of the user and green at the starboard side (right) of the user, to conform with conventional marine lighting. The rear light, as well as the front head lamp, will be white. 
     The helmet-mounted light apparatus is light in weight, no more than about 130 to 135 grams as discussed above. At high front beam the light exhibits run time of about two hours; at low front beam about four hours; and on flash mode about ten hours. Charge time may be about five hours or less. Total light output (high) is about 110 to 120 lumens, with the rear light about 4 lumens, although this could be higher. 
     Several features of the described preferred embodiment can be varied. For example, other means of attachment of the front and rear bases to the helmet can be used. The bases, or either of them, could be glued onto the helmet, especially for non-conventional helmets which have no convenient vent openings or ribs. They could be affixed with machine bolts, screws or other features. The bases (or either of them) could have electrical contacts to engage with contacts on the front and/or rear light housings, with the wire cable fed through the inside of the helmet, between bases. Thus, the rear housing alone could be removed for charging. Another variation is a custom bicycle helmet having the bases built in or affixed and with conductors in the helmet connecting the two bases. The conductors could comprise a cable or conductive strips or traces in the helmet. 
     The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.