Patent Publication Number: US-2021174675-A1

Title: Traffic Light Display Assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to traffic display devices and more particularly pertains to a new traffic display device for communicating traffic light status to traffic behind a semi trailer. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to traffic display devices. The prior art discloses a variety of assemblies which incorporate a front facing camera and a rear facing display. The rear facing display displays imagery captured by the front facing camera for the benefit of traffic that is following behind a vehicle on which the front facing camera and rear facing display are mounted. The prior art discloses a traffic light that is mountable to the rear of a vehicle and a forward facing camera. The traffic light is in communication with the forward facing camera and lights on the traffic light are illuminated in accordance with a traffic signal to facilitate traffic behind the vehicle to see the status of the traffic signal. In each instance of the prior art disclosed, the camera is mounted to the exterior of the vehicle. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a control panel that is positioned on a dashboard of a semi tractor. The control panel includes a camera for viewing a traffic light which the semi tractor is facing. A display unit is removably coupled to a back side of a semi trailer to be visible to traffic behind the semi trailer. The display unit is in remote communication with the control panel. Moreover, the display unit has a plurality of light emitters thereon each being associated with a respective light on the traffic light at which the semi tractor facing. Each of the light emitters is turned on when the associated light on the traffic light is turned on to communicate the status of the traffic light to the traffic behind the semi trailer. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a traffic light display assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a phantom perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a left side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a back in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective in view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new traffic display device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the traffic light display assembly  10  generally comprises a control panel  12  that is positioned on a dashboard of a semi tractor  13  or other vehicle of similar size that could inhibit a vehicle therebehind from viewing a traffic light. The control panel  12  is positioned such that the control panel  12  is accessible to a driver. Moreover, the control panel  12  includes a camera  14  for viewing a traffic light which the semi tractor  13  is facing. The control panel  12  comprises a control housing  16  that has a front wall  18  and a back wall  20 , and the control housing  16  is positioned on the dashboard. 
     A control circuit  22  is positioned in the control housing  16  and the control circuit  22  is electrically coupled to a power source  23  comprising the electrical system of the semi tractor  13 . The camera  14  is coupled to the back wall  20  of the control housing  16  to capture imagery of the traffic light. The camera  14  may be a digital video camera or other similar device that can capture imagery of the traffic light. Additionally, the control circuit  22  includes image detection software for analyzing imagery captured by the camera  14  thereby facilitating traffic lights, and the status of lights on the traffic lights, to be identified. 
     The control circuit  22  receives a go input when the camera  14  detects that a green light on the traffic light  15  is illuminated. The control circuit  22  receives a caution input when the camera  14  detects that a yellow light on the traffic light  15  is illuminated. The control circuit  22  receives a stop input when the camera  14  detects that a red light on the traffic light  15  is illuminated. Additionally, the control circuit  22  receives an arrow input when the camera  14  detects that a direction arrow on the traffic light  15  is illuminated. 
     The control panel  12  includes a touch screen  24  that is coupled to the front wall  18  of the control housing  16  and the touch screen  24  is electrically coupled to the control circuit  22 . The touch screen  24  displays indicia comprising text and images for controlling operational parameters of the control circuit  22 . Additionally, the touch screen  24  may comprise an LED, or other similar electronic display, that responds to touch. 
     A stop light emitter  26  is coupled to the front wall  18  of the control housing  16  and the stop light emitter  26  is electrically coupled to the control circuit  22 . The stop light emitter  26  is turned on when the control circuit  22  receives the stop input. A slow light emitter  28  is coupled to the front wall  18  of the control housing  16  and the slow light emitter  28  is electrically coupled to the control circuit  22 . The slow light emitter  28  is turned on when the control circuit  22  receives the caution input. A go light emitter  30  is coupled to the front wall  18  of the control housing  16  and the go light emitter  30  is electrically coupled to the control circuit  22 . The go light emitter  30  is turned on when the control circuit  22  receives the go input. 
     The control panel  12  includes a transmitter  32  that is coupled to the control housing  16  and the transmitter  32  is electrically coupled to the control circuit  22 . Additionally, the transmitter  32  may comprise a radio frequency transmitter or the like and the transmitter  32  may employ Bluetooth communication protocols. 
     A display unit  34  is removably coupled to a back side  36  of a semi trailer  38  which being is towed by the semi tractor  13 . In this way the display unit  34  is visible to traffic behind the semi trailer  38 . Additionally, the display unit  34  is in remote communication with the control panel  12 . The display unit  34  has a plurality of light emitters  40  thereon each being associated with a respective light  42  on the traffic light  15  which the semi tractor  13  is facing. Each of the light emitters  40  is associated with a respective one of the lights on the traffic light  15 . Moreover, each of the light emitters  40  is turned on when the control panel  12  detects that the associated light on the traffic light  15  is turned on. In this way the display unit  34  communicates the status of the traffic light  15  to the traffic behind the semi trailer  38 . 
     The display unit  34  comprises a remote housing  46  that has a forward side  48  and a rear side  50 . The remote housing  46  may structured to have the ornamental appearance of a traffic light  15 . A plurality of mating members  52  is each coupled to the rear side  50  of the remote housing  46  and each of the mating members  52  releasably engages the back side  36  of the semi trailer  38 . Each of the mating members  52  may comprise a magnet that magnetically engages the back side  36  of the semi trailer  38 . 
     The display unit  34  includes a remote control circuit  54  that is positioned in the remote housing  46 . A receiver  56  is positioned in the remote control housing  16 , the receiver  56  is electrically coupled to the remote control circuit  54  and the receiver  56  is in wireless communication with the transmitter  32 . The receiver  56  may comprise a radio frequency receiver  56  or the like and the receiver  56  may employ Bluetooth communication protocols. 
     The receiver  56  receives actuation commands from the transmitter  32  for each of the light emitters  40  on the traffic light  15 . Each of the actuation commands is associated with a respective one of the go input, the caution input, the stop input and the arrow input. The plurality of light emitters  40  includes a red light emitter  58 , a yellow light emitter  60 , a green light emitter  62  and a set of arrow light emitters  64 . Moreover, each of the light emitters  40  may comprise an LED or other electronic light emitter that can emit light in a variety colors. 
     The red light emitter  58  is turned on when the receiver  56  receives the actuation command associated with the stop input and the yellow light emitter  60  is turned on when the receiver  56  receives the actuation command associated with the caution input. The green light emitter  62  is turned on when the receiver  56  receives the actuation command associated with the go input and respective ones of the arrow light emitters  64  are turned on when the receiver  56  receives the arrow input. The set of arrow light emitters  64  may each being shaped like an arrow pointing left, right and up. Additionally, each of the arrow light emitters  64  may emit red, green or yellow light, depending on the status of the arrows on the traffic light  15 . In this way left turn, right turn and forward arrows on the traffic light  15  are communicated to the traffic behind the semi trailer  38 . A power supply  66  is positioned in the remote housing  46 , the power supply  66  is electrically coupled to the remote control circuit  54  and the power supply  66  comprises at least one battery  68 . 
     In use, the control panel  12  is positioned on the dashboard thereby facilitating the camera  14  to capture imagery of the traffic lights  44 . The display unit  34  is positioned on the back side  36  of the semi trailer  38  such that the display unit  34  is visible to traffic behind the semi trailer  38 . Each of the light emitters  40  on the display unit  34  is turned on to reflect the status of the traffic light  15  that is being recorded by the camera  14 . In this way the traffic behind the semi trailer  38  can see the status of the traffic light  15  that would otherwise not be visible to the traffic. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.