Abstract:
A synchronized speed bump illumination system and method is provided that includes powered LEDs that may be seen by individuals at night and in low light conditions, or during the day to increase visibility and direct a driver&#39;s attention to the speed bump. The speed bump system comprises sections each with a housing having a flat bottom surface and an elevated top surface to form the bump. A plurality of LEDs provides illumination to light windows embedded in the top surface of the sections. A wireless remote control is used to simultaneously transmit signals to an independent circuit in each section so that the groupings of LEDs in each section provide a predefined illumination pattern among the sections.

Description:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0001]    Portions of this disclosure contain material in which copyright is claimed by the applicant. The applicant has no objection to the copying of this material in the course of making copies of the application file or any patents that may issue on the application, but all other rights whatsoever in the copyrighted material are reserved. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Speed bumps are used in a variety of situations to slow vehicles. The speed bumps may be either permanently affixed to the road surface or placed temporarily for a limited time period. Permanent speed bumps are used on roads and in parking lots where there is a tendency for drivers to exceed the recommended speed limit, particularly around schools, in parking lots and in neighborhoods where children or pedestrians are regularly present. Situations where temporary speed bumps are commonly used may include, but are not limited to locations such as the scene of an emergency or accident where first responders are present, parking lots, school crossings, airport traffic control and other pedestrian crossings for an event such as a sporting event, a fair or other event where people must cross a road or parking area but where a permanent speed bump is not required or desirable. 
         [0003]    To date, permanent and temporary speed bumps are known in the prior art. An example of a temporary speed bump configuration is shown in  FIG. 1A . Speed bump  100  is formed of a group of hinged plastic molded sections  105 . The number of sections incorporated in speed bump  100  varies and may be increased or decreased depending on the width of the road surface on which speed bump  100  is to be used. Each section  105  is flat on the bottom side  110  to contact the road with a double angled top side  115  to create a bump which vehicle tires contact as they pass over the bump. Each section  105  may have approximate dimensions, for example, of ten inches in width, fifteen feet in length or a length appropriate to stretch across the road, and one inch in height at its peak and sloping down on either side. However, it should be understood that different sized bump sections may be used depending on the application and the speed at which it is appropriate for a vehicle to ride over the bump without damaging the vehicle or causing discomfort to occupants as the vehicle passes over speed bump  100 . 
         [0004]    A stackable configuration of speed bump  100  is shown in  FIG. 1B  where speed bump  100  is shown with interleaving sections  120  that are hinged on either side to a section  105 . When not in use, speed bump  100  may be stacked and stored in a carrying case  125   a  such as a soft shell nylon bag shaped to match speed bump  100  as shown in  FIGS. 1B-1C . 
         [0005]    In an alternative embodiment, sections  105  may be hinged directly together or fused together with flexible material between sections  105  so that speed bump  100  that may be rolled up. An example of a roll-up configuration of speed bump  100  is shown in  FIG. 1D  where speed bump  100  is shown with hinges. When rolled up, speed bump  100  may be stored in a case such as a soft shell nylon bag  125   b  shaped to match speed bump  100  as shown in  FIG. 1E . 
         [0006]    In many cases, speed bump  100  is formed of sections  105  that are manufactured in bright colors such as yellow or orange. Alternatively, sections  105  may be configured in alternating colors such as yellow and black. In addition, sections  105  may include reflective material applied to the top surface so that when vehicle headlights are directed at the speed bump, they are easily visible to a driver in darkness or low light. The reflective material may be in different shapes to show direction such as an arrow  130 . 
         [0007]    While prior art speed bumps currently function to slow the speed of vehicles in situations where emergency responders or pedestrian traffic is present on a temporary basis, the speed bumps of the prior art are difficult to see at night and in low light. Therefore, it is desirable to provide speed bumps that are more clearly lighted for use in dark and low light conditions. The present invention incorporates electrically operated light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) to provide an energy efficient light source. In addition, the present invention includes remote operation of the LEDs such that the LEDs may be individually embedded within portions of a speed bump to be synchronized without the need to electrically couple the LEDs in different speed bump portions or sections. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIGS. 1A-1E  show a variety of views of a prior art temporary speed bump; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a temporary speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a section of a temporary speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a top view of hinged sections of a temporary speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a first bottom perspective view of a speed bump section incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a second bottom perspective view of a speed bump section incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a top down sectional view of a section of a temporary speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an electrical circuit of a speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram representing the communication between a speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs and a remote control; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a remote control for controlling a speed bump incorporating electrically powered LEDs; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of an electrical circuit of a remote control for controlling electrically powered LEDs in a speed bump. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout  FIGS. 2-11 , like elements of the invention are referred to by the same reference numerals for consistency purposes. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a temporary speed bump  200  incorporating electrically powered LEDs. As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , speed bump  200  is formed of a group of hinged plastic molded sections  205 . The number of sections incorporated in speed bump  200  varies and may be increased or decreased depending on the width of the road surface on which speed bump  200  is to be used. Each section  205  is flat on the bottom side  210  to contact the road with a double angled top surface  215  to create a bump which vehicle tires contact as they pass over the bump. Each section  205  may have approximate dimensions, for example, of ten inches in width, fifteen feet in length or another length that corresponds to the width of a road surface, and one inch in height at its peak and sloping down at either side. However, it should be understood that different sized bump sections may be used depending on the application and the speed at which it is appropriate for a vehicle to ride over the bump without damaging the vehicle or causing discomfort to occupants as the vehicle passes over the speed bump. 
         [0021]    A stackable configuration of speed bump  200  is shown in  FIG. 2  where speed bump sections  205  are hinged on either side to an adjacent section  205 . When not in use, speed bump  200  may be stacked and stored in a carrying case similar to that shown in  FIG. 1  such as a soft shell nylon bag shaped to match speed bump  200 . Alternatively, and instead of implementing speed bump section  205  being directly hinged to an adjacent section, an interleaving section (not shown), that is similar to the structure of speed bump  100  may be used. Or, a flexible material such as polypropylene (manufactured, for example, by companies such as DuPont or Dow Chemical) may be fused to the sides of adjacent sections to hold them together. 
         [0022]    Speed bump  200  may be formed of sections  205  that are manufactured in bright colors such as yellow or orange. Alternatively, sections  205  may be configured in alternating colors such as yellow and black. In addition, sections  205  include embedded light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) that provide illumination to one or more light windows or light strips  225  in a portion of upper surface  215  that is oriented so that it can be seen by an oncoming driver or pedestrian. The upper surface  215  may include a sloped portion or a vertical portion on either side. The LEDs may illuminate or flash in one or more patterns to make speed bump  200  readily visible when approached in darkness or low light. Light windows are clear plastic inserts through which a light source inside of section  205  may pass through and be visible from the outside. Sections  205  are formed of injected molded plastic such as polypropylene manufactured by DuPont or Dow Chemical. The plastic must be hard enough and durable enough to withstand extreme weather conditions and the weight of vehicles of all types continuously passing over sections  205 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a single section  205  of temporary speed bump  200  incorporating a light window  225  that is illuminated by one or more electrically powered LEDs (see  FIGS. 7-8 ). A set of protruding elements  230  line either side of section  205  so that an interleaving section  220  or an adjacent section can be attached. Attachment of adjacent sections is accomplished by lining up protruding elements  230  on section  205  with the protruding elements on an interleaving section or an adjacent section. An elongated pin, made of metal, molded plastic or another suitable material, is then inserted through hole  235  in each of elongated sections  230 . The pin may be maintained in place by screwing it into the last elongated section, or the pin may have a cap at one end and be threaded at the other end so that a nut can be attached to it to hold the sections together. Reflective material in various shapes and sizes  240  may also be affixed to top surface  215  of sections  205  to further increase visibility of speed bump  200 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a top view of three sections  205   a - c  of temporary speed bump  200  attached to each other and incorporating electrically powered LEDs. Each section  205  includes a pair of light strips  225  embedded in opposing sides of angled top surface  215 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , light strips  225  are embedded in a vertically configured sidewall that is considered part of upper surface  215  of section  205  for purposes of this description. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  show two perspective views of a bottom  210  of section  205  of temporary speed bump  200  incorporating light strips  225 . It should be understood, that light strips  225  may be just as easily embedded in a sloped sidewall of upper surface  215  or in any other portion of upper surface  215 , including the area where reflective material  240  is shown in the figures. For purposes of this description, the vertical sidewall portion where light strip  225  is shown  FIG. 3  is considered part of upper surface  215 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a top down sectional view of section  205  of temporary speed bump  200  incorporating light strips  225 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , a printed circuit board  700  is embedded within section  205  and includes six LEDs  705  that are, for example, super bright surface mount technology (“SMT”) LEDs. LEDs  705  are mounted on printed circuit board  700  that is embedded within the housing of section  205 . Circuit board  700  has circuitry (see  FIG. 8 ) for controlling LEDs  705  and includes a battery pack  710  that may, for example, be powered by 2 AA batteries  715  or a similar power source. To bring the light produced by LEDs  705  to light strip  225  where it can exit section  205  and be visible, light pipes or channels  720  are provided within the housing of section  205  when housing  205  is manufactured. Light pipes  720  may be formed, for example, of polycarbonate 94V-0 clear or 3025N2 clear manufactured by Samyang Corporation. 
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram  800  of electrical circuit  700  of speed bump  200  incorporating LEDs  705 . A controller  805  is typically a microprocessor or dedicated controller that is at the center of circuit  700 . Controller  805  controls the operation of a number of LEDs  705 , for example six LEDs, in section  205 . Battery pack  715  provides power to controller  805  and LEDs  705  through a voltage stabilizing circuit  810  of a type that is well known in the art. Controller  810  is also connected to an RF transceiver  815 . RF transceiver  815  is configured to receive signals from a remote control (see  FIG. 9 ). Transceiver  815  may also send signals for the purpose of confirming receipt of signals through antenna  820 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram  900  representing the communication between one or more sections  205  of speed bump  200  incorporating LEDs  705  and a remote control transmitter  905 .  FIG. 10  is a perspective view of remote control transmitter  905  for controlling LEDs  705  in sections  205  of speed bump  200 . Transmitter  905  includes buttons  910  mounted on controller  905 . Buttons  905  are programmed or may be programmed to transmit one or more signals to be received by transceivers  815  in circuit  700  in sections  205  simultaneously. A transmitter antenna  915  is used to transmit the signal from remote control transmitter  905  where it is received by antenna  820  and provided to transceivers  815 . The signals are passed from transceivers  815  to controllers  805  in each section  205 . In this way, controllers  805  for all sections  205  in speed bump  200  receive signals simultaneously and can synchronize the illuminating of LEDs  705  among all sections  205  in speed bump  200 . The synchronization of LEDs  705  among multiple sections  205  allows a user to instruct speed bump  200  using transmitter  905  to provide signals that indicate a coordinated illumination pattern across sections  205 . 
         [0029]    For example, a first signal (or set of signals) to sections  205  may provide that all LEDs  705  be illuminated and stay illuminated until a second signal is received to turn off LEDs  705 . 
         [0030]    Alternatively, all LEDs in sections  205  may be instructed to flash at a pre-defined frequency so that all LEDs  705  flash simultaneously. In yet another example of an illumination pattern, sections  205  may be instructed to flash in sequential order so that LEDs  705  on any given section are flashed on and off following the flashing of LEDs  705  in the adjacent section so that an illumination pattern goes back and forth across speed bump  200 . Other illumination patterns may also be predefined or programmed by a user into remote control transmitter  905  and transmitted to sections  205  by a user by pressing buttons  910 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of an electrical circuit  1100  of remote control  905  for controlling electrically powered LEDs  705  in sections  225  of speed bump  200 . A controller  1105  controls the operation of remote  905 . A power source  1110  powers circuit  1100  and is typically in the form of a battery. An antenna  1115  is used to transmit wireless signals to (and receive wireless signals from) sections  205  of speed bump  200 . Switches  910  are depressed by a user to perform operations on remote  900 . Circuit  1100  includes a LED  1120  that is located on the outside of remote  905  and indicates to the user that switches  910  have been depressed to send a signal from remote  905  to section  205 . Controller  810  is also connected to an RF transceiver  1125 . RF transceiver  1125  is configured to receive signals from remote control  905 . Transceiver  1125  may also send signals for the purpose of confirming receipt of signals through antenna  1115 . 
         [0032]    The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined with reference to the claims. For example, it should be understood that while the invention has been described with respect to a set of LEDs that are positioned on a circuit board and that provide illumination to a light strip through a light pipe, it is also possible to place one or more LEDs at a location behind the light windows at the surface of the section housing eliminating the need to provide a light pipe or channel between the LED and the light strip. In addition, although the shape of the top surface of the housing has been described as sloped, it could also be flat with squared off sides and the light strips being embedded in the top or the sides. The upper surface of sections  205  could also take on other shapes with the light strips placed in or on the upper surface in a way that is proximate to the upper surface so that they are visible by an oncoming driver or pedestrian. The flash patterns and timing are also subject to designer choice and may include any number of different illumination timing patterns.