Patent Publication Number: US-10308169-B1

Title: Auxiliary vehicle direction lights

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
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     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of transportation including vehicles and vehicle fittings, more specifically, an optical signaling device configured for use with emergency vehicles. 
     Emergency vehicles are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents that occur at intersections. Because the driver of a vehicle does not know the direction that the emergency vehicle will take, drivers will inadvertently turn into the path of the emergency vehicle thereby causing an accident. 
     Clearly, a method to more clearly notify vehicle drivers of the intention of the driver of an emergency vehicle at an intersection would be of benefit. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The auxiliary vehicle direction light is an optical signaling system. The auxiliary vehicle direction light is adapted for use with an emergency vehicle. The auxiliary vehicle direction light is a visual display that indicates the intended direction of the emergency vehicle when the emergency vehicle is in route to its dispatched destination. The auxiliary vehicle direction light comprises one or more displays, a logical device, and a plurality of inputs. The emergency device provides the plurality of inputs to the logical device. The logical device converts the plurality of inputs into a plurality of control signals that are used to control the plurality of display. Each of the plurality of control signals instructs a display selected from the one or more displays to illuminate a directional signal selected from a plurality of directional signals. 
     These together with additional objects, features and advantages of the auxiliary vehicle direction light will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     In this respect, before explaining the current embodiments of the auxiliary vehicle direction light in detail, it is to be understood that the auxiliary vehicle direction light is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the auxiliary vehicle direction light. 
     It is therefore important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the auxiliary vehicle direction light. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a detail view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a detail view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments of the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     Detailed reference will now be made to one or more potential embodiments of the disclosure, which are illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 8 . 
     The auxiliary vehicle direction light  100  (hereinafter invention) is an optical signaling system. The invention  100  is adapted for use with an emergency vehicle  141 . The invention  100  is a visual display that indicates the intended direction of the emergency vehicle  141  when the emergency vehicle  141  is in route to its dispatched destination. The invention  100  comprises one or more displays  101 , a logical device  102 , and a plurality of inputs  103 . The emergency device provides the plurality of inputs  103  to the logical device  102 . The logical device  102  converts the plurality of inputs  103  into a plurality of control signals  160  that are used to control the one or more displays  101 . Each of the plurality of control signals  160  instructs a display selected from the one or more displays  101  to illuminate a direction signal selected from a plurality of direction signals  130 . 
     The emergency vehicle  141  is a vehicle used for emergency purposes. Examples of emergency vehicles  141  include, but are not limited to, law enforcement vehicles, emergency medical response vehicles, and fire response vehicles. The emergency vehicle  141  further comprises a vehicle engine control unit  142 . The vehicle engine control unit  142  an electrical device that controls all the electrical functions of the emergency vehicle  141 . The vehicle engine control unit  142  provides the control signals used to instruct the operation of the invention  100 . The vehicle engine control unit  142  provides the electrical energy required to operate the invention  100 . The emergency vehicle  141  is further defined with a front side  151 , a rear side  152 , a left side  153 , a right side  154 , a top side  155 , and a bottom side  156 . 
     The front side  151  is the side of the emergency vehicle  141  that leads the emergency vehicle  141  when the emergency vehicle  141  is moving towards the primary sense of direction of the emergency vehicle  141 . The rear side  152  is the side of the emergency vehicle  141  that is distal from the front side  151 . The left side  153  is the side of the vehicle that is to the left of a viewer when the viewer directly faces the rear side  152  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The right side  154  is the side of the vehicle that is to the right of a viewer when the viewer directly faces the rear side  152  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The top side  155  is the side of the vehicle that is distal from the bottom side  156 . The bottom side  156  is the side of the vehicle that is proximal to the road. 
     The plurality of inputs  103  are electrical signals generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . Each of the plurality of inputs  103  provides an indication to the logical device  102  regarding the intended direction of the emergency vehicle  141 . 
     The plurality of inputs  103  comprises a forward drive signal input  121 , a rear drive signal input  122 , a left turn signal input  123 , and a right turn signal input  124 . The forward drive signal input  121 , the rear drive signal input  122 , the left turn signal input  123 , and the right turn signal input  124  are generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . 
     The forward drive signal input  121  is an electrical signal generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . The forward drive signal input  121  indicates that the transmission of the emergency vehicle  141  is in the drive position. The rear drive signal input  122  is an electrical signal generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . The rear drive signal input  122  indicates that the transmission of the emergency vehicle  141  is in the reverse position. The left turn signal input  123  is an electrical signal generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . The left turn signal input  123  indicates that the left turn signal of the emergency vehicle  141  is engaged. The right turn signal input  124  is an electrical signal generated by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . The right turn signal input  124  indicates that the right turn signal of the emergency vehicle  141  is engaged. 
     The one or more displays  101  are electrically illuminated display devices. The one or more displays  101  are powered by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . Each of the one or more displays  101  are prominently and visibly mounted on the emergency vehicle  141  at a position proximal to the top side  155  of the emergency vehicle  141 . Each of the one or more displays  101  is controlled by the logical device  102 . The one or more displays  101  are used to display the plurality of direction signals  130  while the emergency vehicle  141  is in operation. 
     Each of the one or more displays  101  displays a plurality of direction signals  130 . The plurality of direction signals  130  are identical for each of the one or more displays  101 . The plurality of direction signals  130  comprises a forward indication arrow  131 , a reverse indication arrow  132 , a left indication arrow  133  and a right indication arrow  134 . 
     The one or more displays  101  comprises a front side  151  display  111  and a rear side  152  display  112 . The front side  151  display  111  is a display selected from the one or more displays  101 . The front side  151  display  111  mounts visibly on the front side  151  of the emergency vehicle  141  proximal to the top side  155  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The rear side  152  display  112  is a display selected from the one or more displays  101 . The rear side  152  display  112  mounts visibly on the rear side  152  of the emergency vehicle  141  proximal to the top side  155  of the emergency vehicle  141 . 
     Each of the plurality of direction signals  130  forms an indication arrow that is visibly displayed by each of the one or more displays  101 . The forward indication arrow  131  is an indication arrow that points towards the top side  155  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The reverse indication arrow  132  is an indication arrow that points towards the bottom side  156  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The left indication arrow  133  is an indication arrow that points towards the left side  153  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The right indication arrow  134  is an indication arrow that points towards the right side  154  of the emergency vehicle  141 . 
     The forward indication arrow  131  forms the image of an indication arrow that points to the top side  155  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The reverse indication arrow  132  forms the image of an indication arrow that points to the bottom side  156  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The left indication arrow  133  forms the image of an indication arrow that points to the left side  153  of the emergency vehicle  141 . The right indication arrow  134  forms the image of an indication arrow that points to the right side  154  of the emergency vehicle  141 . 
     To maintain the proper orientation of the displayed direction signal, the left indication arrow  133  of the front side  151  display  111  points to the right when the front side  151  display  111  is viewed directly and the left indication arrow  133  of the rear side  152  display  112  points to the left when the rear side  152  display  112  is viewed directly. 
     To maintain the proper orientation of the displayed direction signal, the right indication arrow  134  of the front side  151  display  111  points to the left when the front side  151  display  111  is viewed directly and the right indication arrow  134  of the rear side  152  display  112  points to the right when the rear side  152  display  112  is viewed directly. 
     The logical device  102  is an electrical circuit. The logical device  102  forms a logic circuit that: 1) receives the plurality of inputs  103  from the vehicle engine control unit  142 ; and, 2) based on the received inputs generates one or more control signals selected from the plurality of control signals  160 . The logical device  102  is selected from the group consisting of a programmable electrical circuit and a non-programmable electrical circuit. The logical device  102  is electrically connected to, and draws power from, the vehicle engine control unit  142  of the emergency vehicle  141 . Methods to design and fabricate the logical device  102  are well-known and documented in the electrical arts. 
     The logical device  102  comprises a plurality of control signals  160 . Each of the one or more displays  101  receives a control signal selected from a plurality of control signals  160  generated by the logical device  102 . The one or more displays  101  selects the direction signal to be displayed from the plurality of direction signals  130  based on the control signal selected from the plurality of control signals  160  provided to the logical device  102  by the vehicle engine control unit  142 . 
     The plurality of control signals  160  comprises a collection of electrical signals that are used to operate the front side  151  display  111  and the rear side  152  display  112 . The plurality of control signals  160  comprises a front side  151  forward control signal  161 , a front side  151  reverse control signal  162 , a front side  151  left control signal  163 , a front side  151  right control signal  164 , a rear side  152  forward control signal  165 , a rear side  152  reverse control signal  166 , a rear side  152  left control signal  167 , and a rear side  152  right control signal  168 . 
     The front side  151  forward control signal  161  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the front side  151  display  111 . The front side  151  forward control signal  161  electrically triggers the front side  151  display  111  to display the forward indication arrow  131 . 
     The front side  151  reverse control signal  162  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the front side  151  display  111 . The front side  151  reverse control signal  162  electrically triggers the front side  151  display  111  to display the reverse indication arrow  132 . 
     The front side  151  left control signal  163  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the front side  151  display  111 . The front side  151  left control signal  163  electrically triggers the front side  151  display  111  to display the left indication arrow  133 . 
     The front side  151  right control signal  164  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the front side  151  display  111 . The front side  151  right control signal  164  electrically triggers the front side  151  display  111  to display the right indication arrow  134 . 
     The rear side  152  forward control signal  165  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the rear side  152  display  112 . The rear side  152  forward control signal  165  electrically triggers the rear side  152  display  112  to display the forward indication arrow  131 . 
     The rear side  152  reverse control signal  166  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the rear side  152  display  112 . The rear side  152  reverse control signal  166  electrically triggers the rear side  152  display  112  to display the reverse indication arrow  132 . 
     The rear side  152  left control signal  167  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the rear side  152  display  112 . The rear side  152  left control signal  167  electrically triggers the rear side  152  display  112  to display the left indication arrow  133 . 
     The rear side  152  right control signal  168  is an electrical signal generated by the logical device  102  that is transmitted to the rear side  152  display  112 . The rear side  152  right control signal  168  electrically triggers the rear side  152  display  112  to display the right indication arrow  134 . 
     In the first potential embodiment of the disclosure, the logical device  102  comprises a circuit network that illuminates a plurality of LEDs  171  into the signal selected from the plurality of direction signals  130  as selected by the logical device  102  based on the plurality of inputs  103 . The plurality of LEDs  171  comprise a collection of LEDs that are used to illuminate the plurality of direction signals  130 . Methods to form directional displays using LEDs are well known and documented in the electrical arts. 
     The following definitions were used in this disclosure: 
     Display: As used in this disclosure, a display is a surface upon which is presented an image, potentially including, but not limited to, graphic images and text, that is interpretable by an individual viewing the projected image in a meaningful manner. 
     LCD: As used in this disclosure, LCD is an acronym for Liquid Crystal Display. A liquid crystal display comprises a liquid crystal film placed between two sheets of transparent material. The visual characteristics of the LCD can be varied through the application of a voltage. 
     LED: As used in this disclosure, an LED is an acronym for a light emitting diode. A light emitting diode is a diode that is also a light source. 
     Logical Device: As used in this disclosure, a logical device is an electrical device that processes externally provided inputs to generate outputs that are determined from a previously determined logical functions. A logical device may or may not be programmable. 
     Primary Sense of Direction: As used in this disclosure, the primary sense of direction of an object refers to a vector that: 1) passes through the center of the object; and, 2) is parallel to the direction of travel when the front surface(s) of the object are leading the object into the direction of travel. This definition intends to align with what people would normally call the forward direction of an object. 
     VECU: As used in this disclosure, the VECU is an acronym for the Vehicle Engine Control Unit of the vehicle. The VECU is an electronic device that controls the operation of all electrical subsystems within a vehicle. 
     Vehicle: As used in this disclosure, a vehicle is a motorized device used for transporting passengers, goods, or equipment. The term motorized vehicle refers to a vehicle can move under power provided by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. 
     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationship for the various components of the invention described above and in  FIGS. 1 through 8  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 the invention. 
     It shall be noted that those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the various embodiments of the present invention which will result in an improved invention, yet all of which will fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.