Abstract:
A whimsical firefly simulation apparatus achieves the random, fanciful flutter of fireflies&#39; flight and bioluminescence through the use of the vibrating wand, which includes a weighted motor. An open-ended square configuration of a blue, a red, and a green LED, in combination with the vibrating wand allow for a visual display of blue, violet, red, yellow, green and white light to be generated.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a decorative lighting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) device designed to whimsically simulate the movement and bioluminescence of any number of luminescent beetles, commonly referred to as “fireflies” or “lightening bugs” in North America. 
         [0002]    Often visible on summer evenings, fireflies enthrall children and elicit a nostalgic feeling in adults. Fireflies simply inspire a collective feeling of backyard nature at its best. 
         [0003]    Located under their abdomens, fireflies have dedicated organs, in which a complex chemical reaction occurs, to produce their signature glow. Firefly light is usually intermittent, and since the insect continues to fly between flashes, there is no discernable pattern of light emission. 
         [0004]    In an attempt to mimic the randomness of a firefly&#39;s flashing and the movement of their flight, prior art products use miniature fan assemblies to blow wire leads with an LED attached. The effect is of a small LED simply being blown around. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In a whimsical firefly simulation embodying the principle of the invention achieves the random, fanciful flutter of the fireflies&#39; flight through the use of the vibrating wand. In combination with the vibrating wand, a novel arrangement and assembly of an LED cluster allows for a visual display of blue, violet, red, yellow, green, and white light to simultaneously be generated. 
         [0006]    The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an embodiment of the firefly simulation device; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of the wand; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the wand; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the wand vibrating; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a top, cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the wand; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a side view of an embodiment of the wand with the water tight end cap removed for visual clarity; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a diagram of a circuit embodying the principles of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the LED cluster; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the LED cluster and LED cable; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is an illustration of the light pattern generated by the LED cluster; 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  A-D details the construction of the LED cluster; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is an alternate embodiment of the wand wherein the led cluster depends directly from the housing. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention 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, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0020]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of wand  2  of the whimsical firefly simulation device  4  comprising a wand  2 , a housing  12  for storing the motor and electronics (not visible), an LED cable  30 , and an LED cluster  32 . At night, or in an environment with dim ambient lighting, operation of the whimsical firefly simulation device  4  causes the wand  2  to vibrate biaxially (See  FIG. 4 ) and LED cable  30  to jerk and swing randomly, appearing to the observer as a confused, randomly convulsing, multi-colored firefly. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 2 and 3 . illustrate a top view and side view of an embodiment of the wand  2 , respectively. Wand  2  includes rod  6 , terminating at an quick connect electrical coupling (2-pin MTA socket)  8  at its first end, and a mounting means  10  at its opposite end. Located at approximately the ⅔ point of rod  6  (when moving from left to right across the rod  6 ) is a dual-compartment housing  12 . Housing  12  is mounted on rod  6 , and chemically secured to rod  6  via an epoxy  40  along its midline  18  such that a first compartment  14  and second compartment  16  reside opposite one another along rod  6  as is visible in  FIG. 2 . In the illustrated embodiment 18″ long by 0.062 diameter thick drill steel is used for rod  6 . However, it should be noted that any number of materials could be suitable for the construction of rod  6  including various polymers. An acrylic cylinder is used for housing  12  as it is light weight, durable, and water resistant. Watertight end caps  39  (visible in  FIG. 5 ), ensure no precipitation will reach either the motor  20  or the electronics  24 . 
         [0023]    A first aperture (not visible) resides through housing  12  for receipt of a two conductor stranded power wire  42 . Power wire  42  has a first end adapted for connection with electronics  24 , and a second end adapted for connection to a 12V AC/AC transformer  44  (although it is well known in the art that a comparable system could be devised that utilizes DC power). In order to secure a portion of the power wire  42  to rod  6 , heat shrink tubing  46  is employed. 
         [0024]    A second aperture (not visible) resides through housing  12  for receipt of an LED connection cable  48  (See  FIG. 6 ), which has a first end adapted for connection with electronics  24 , and a second end terminating in the 2-pin MTA Socket  8 . LED connection cable  48  is comprised of 26 gauge 7/32 stranded wires, and secured to rod  6  via heat shrink tubing  46 . For additional stability epoxy  40  envelops heat shrink tubing  46 . 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5-6 , a motor  20  and eccentric weight  22  reside within first compartment  14 . The mass of the offset weight (eccentric) causes the wand  2  to vibrate biaxially, when the motor  20  is running. Motor  20  is a DC motor with a recommended operating voltage of 6 volts. In this application it is driven with 0.5V to 1.5V to obtain a speed of 600 to 1800 RPM. If a motor whose recommended operating voltage is other that 6V is used, it would result in a range other that 0.5V to 1.5V to obtain the proper speed range. Motor  20  resides at approximately the ⅓ point along the longitudinal axis of rod  6  from mounting means  10 , to minimize the vibration at the mounting point and maximize the vibration at the tip of rod  6  (i.e., the end of rod  6  terminating in electrical coupling  8 ). However, an alternate embodiment of the wand  2  is visible in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , wherein the led cluster  32  extends directly from an LED cable socket  45  residing on housing  12 . 
         [0026]    Electronics  24 , reside in second compartment  16 , and  FIG. 7  is a diagram of a circuit embodying the principles of the invention. Incoming power  3  is fed to the circuit board (not visible). Power  3  can be 11 to 25 volts AC or DC. Power  3  is rectified via a diode bridge  5  and regulated via a voltage regulator 7 to 9 volts DC. A first branch  9  of this 9 volt supply is sent out from the board to the LED cluster  32 . A second branch  11  of the 9 volt supply is sent to potentiometer  13  to produce a manually adjusted low current set point  19  with a range of approximately 0.5 to 1.5 volts. This voltage range may change when using substitute motors. Potentiometer  13  passes low current which is well below that required to power motor  20 . For example, potentiometer  13  can pass about 10 microamps and motor  20  consumes about 50 milliamps. To increase the current a Darlington transistor  15  is employed. Darlington transistor  15  is heat sensitive and will vary its output voltage with temperature changes. Located between the low current set point  19  and the Darlington transistor  15  is an operational amplifier  17 , which compares the low current set point  19  with that of the output of the Darlington transistor  15 , and is used to produce enough current to power motor  20  at the same voltage as the low current set point  19 . Amplifier  17  will adjust the transistor&#39;s input to cause it to produce the proper high current set point voltage  21  over a wide temperature range, which is necessary for outdoor use of whimsical firefly simulation device  4 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 8-9 , LED cluster  32  is soldered to a LED cable  30 , which comprises four  38  gauge enamel coated solid copper wires which have been spun together (two twisted pairs), and the opposite end of the cable is attached to a 2-pin MTA plug (not visible) designed to matingly conform to MTA socket  8 . Experimentation has shown that this level of wire protection is necessary to eliminate material fatigue of the LED cable given the strain it experiences.  FIGS. 11A-11D  illustrate how each of the two twisted pairs of wires  38  comprising LED cable  30  are soldered at the open-end of the body  35  of the blue LED  34  and at the open-end of the body  35  of the green LED  34 . Looking at  FIG. 9  It can be seen that wires  38  are then brought up through the center of the LED cluster  32  so as to extend normally from the LED cluster  32 . Excluding the emitters  36  the LED cluster  32  and wires  38  are dipped in a polymer adhesive  40 . Emitters  36  are not coated in polymer adhesive  40 . The remaining portion of LED cable  30  is coated in a synthetic rubber coating. 
         [0028]    The LED cluster  32  comprises three LEDs  34  (one red, one green, and one blue) as is visible in  FIG. 8 . The LEDs  34  are comprised of a body  35  and an emitter  36 , and are soldered at adjoining corners in an open-ended square configuration with the emitters facing out from the center of the open-ended square. LEDs  34  are arranged so that blue is opposite green and red is opposite the open side. Each emitter emits almost 180° of light, which produces an overlap of light colors at each soldered corner (violet at the corner of blue and red and yellow at the corner of red and green), which is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . In addition to green, yellow, red, violet, and blue light, the open-ended square configuration produces a twinkling white light which is a function of the LED cable&#39;s length and the motor speed. 
         [0029]    As to not overpower the visual display produced by the LED cluster  32 , the brightness of the blue LED is 200 micro-candles the red LED has a brightness of 800 micro-candles, and the green LED 400-600 micro-candles. Experimentation has shown that this combination results in a pleasingly aesthetic white light that twinkles and emanates colored rays. 
         [0030]    Operation of the whimsical firefly simulation device  4  is achieved through powering electronics  24 , preferably in a darkened environment. Wand  2  vibrates biaxially due to the eccentric weight  22  on motor  20 . LED cluster  32  depending from LED cable  30  (or LED socket  35  in an alternate embodiment) will jerk and swing randomly, appearing to the observer as a confused, randomly convulsing, multi-colored light, and thus a whimsical simulation of the firefly is produced. 
         [0031]    The above description will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. It also sets forth the best modes for carrying out this invention. There are numerous variations and modifications thereof that will also remain readily apparent to others skilled in the art, including using batteries or solar cells to power the whimsical firefly simulation device, providing a remote control for the operation of the whimsical firefly simulation device, or using a timer in conjunction with a light or motion sensor, now that the general principles of the present invention have been disclosed. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.