CA2295768C - Visual display systems - Google Patents

Visual display systems Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2295768C
CA2295768C CA002295768A CA2295768A CA2295768C CA 2295768 C CA2295768 C CA 2295768C CA 002295768 A CA002295768 A CA 002295768A CA 2295768 A CA2295768 A CA 2295768A CA 2295768 C CA2295768 C CA 2295768C
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
wheel
light emitting
controller
memory
control means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA002295768A
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French (fr)
Other versions
CA2295768A1 (en
Inventor
Guy Edward John Margetson
Thomas Andrew Hedges
Roy Wyatt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SPECTRUM MOTION MEDIA Ltd
Original Assignee
Adflash Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Adflash Ltd filed Critical Adflash Ltd
Publication of CA2295768A1 publication Critical patent/CA2295768A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2295768C publication Critical patent/CA2295768C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G09EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09GARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/005Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes forming an image using a quickly moving array of imaging elements, causing the human eye to perceive an image which has a larger resolution than the array, e.g. an image on a cylinder formed by a rotating line of LEDs parallel to the axis of rotation
    • GPHYSICS
    • G09EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09FDISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F21/00Mobile visual advertising
    • G09F21/04Mobile visual advertising by land vehicles
    • G09F21/045Mobile visual advertising by land vehicles supported by the wheels
    • GPHYSICS
    • G09EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09FDISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F9/00Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
    • G09F9/30Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
    • G09F9/33Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
  • Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
  • Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)
  • Liquid Crystal (AREA)
  • Control Of Indicators Other Than Cathode Ray Tubes (AREA)
  • Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
  • Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
  • Electrochromic Elements, Electrophoresis, Or Variable Reflection Or Absorption Elements (AREA)
  • Ultra Sonic Daignosis Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

A bicycle wheel (4) is supported by a fork (6) to which a magnet (12) is attached. Attached to one spoke (8) of the wheel (4) is an elongate array (10) comprising sixteen light emitting diodes extending radially of the wheel (4). A controller (16), mounted on the spoke (8) is connected to the array (10) by a cable (18). The controller includes a memory that stores a program for controlling the sequence in which the different LEDs of the array are to be energised. By selecting the timing and energisation of the different LEDs in accordance with a predetermined program, the observer will see an apparently stationary image on the wheel notwithstanding that it is rotating.

Description

' ' EPO - DG 1 01. 06. 1999 VISUAL DISPLAY SYSTEMS
The present invention relates to visual display systems.
The wheels of bicycles are often decorated with material which gives a pleasing effect to a remote viewer. However, because the wheel rotates and rotates at different speeds little more than a blur of colour is usually observable.
It is an object of the invention to provide a display system which enables the viewer to view a distinct, apparently stationary, image of alphanumeric characters and/or other material on the rotating member such as the wheel of a bicycle or other vehicle.
According to the present invention there is provided a display system for a rotary wheel comprising an elongate array of light emitting devices to be mounted on the wheel extending in a radial direction, a controller to be mounted on the wheel and connected to the light emitting devices for controlling the energisation of the light emitting devices in a sequence in accordance with a program stored in a memory of the controller, an accelermeter to be mounted on the wheel spaced from the axis of the wheel to sense the rotary position of the wheel, and control means responsive to the accelermeter to initiate an energising cycle for the light emitting devices by the controller at positions determined in accordance with the program stored in the memory, the control means varying the rate of energisation in accordance with the speed of the wheel whereby to provide an apparently stationary image on the wheel corresponding to the program stored.
According to the present invention there is further provided a display system for a rotary member comprising an array of light emitting devices to be mounted on the member, a controller to be mounted on the member and connected to the light emitting devices for controlling the energisation of the light emitting devices in a sequence in accordance with a program stored in a memory of the controller, a sensor to be mounted on the member to sense the passage of the member past a locator rigid with a non-rotary support for the member, and control means responsive to the sensor sensing the locator to ~'p~~P~~' SHEc initiate an energising cycle for the light emitting devices by the controller in accordance with the program stored in the memory, the control means establishing a datum position of the member at which the energisation cycle can be initiated and varying the rate of energisation in accordance with the speed of the member whereby to provide an apparently stationary image on the member corresponding to the program stored, the memory being reprogrammable to store data representing different images.
A bicycle having a visual display system, embodying the present invention, will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bicycle displaying an advertising trade mark;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the front wheel of the bicycle incorporating the display system; and Figure 3 is a block diagram of the display system in conjunction with a system for reprogramming the display system.
Figure 1 shows a bicycle 2 having a front wheel 4 carrying an illuminated image of the registered trade mark REEBOK which, to the stationary observer, appears stationary on the bicycle notwithstanding that the wheel 4 is rotating.
As shown in Figure 2, the wheel 4 is supported by a fork 6 to which a locator in the form of a magnet 12 is attached. Attached to one spoke 8 of the wheel 4 is an elongate array 10 comprising sixteen light emitting diodes (LEDs) extending radially of the wheel 4. Also mounted on the same spoke 8 is a controller 16, which includes a battery (not shown), and is connected to the array 10 by a cable 18. The imbalance caused by the attachments to the wheel can be corrected by the use of counterweights (not shown) attached to the diametrically opposite side of the wheel.
The controller includes a memory (not shown) that stores a program for controlling the sequence in which the different LEDs of the array are to be energised. By selecting the timing and energisation of the different LEDs in accordance with a predetermined program, the observer will see an apparently stationary image on the wheel notwithstanding that it is rotating.
The effect is achieved because with light flashes of very short duration, the reaction of the human eye to the flash persists long after the flash has finished. Thus, where a series of very short flashes occur over a short time span less than 0.01 S
seconds, all the flashes appear to the eye to have occurred at the same time and when the flashes are spaced from one another on the retina because the array has moved relative to the retina, the eye perceives a composite light pattern which will persist for a short while immediately following the time span. It will thus be appreciated that a program can be created and stored in the memory which will produce almost any desired image for the observer. The image may take the form of alphanumeric information or may take the form of an advertising poster.
In order for the viewed display to start at a particular angular location on the wheel and to prevent drift due to a change in speed of the wheel, the rotation of the wheel has to be sensed. A sensor in the form of a magnetic reed relay 14 is mounted on the spoke 8 and this is triggered each time the sensor 14 passes the locator magnet 12.
Control means (not shown) within the controller 16 responds to the operation of the reed switch to initiate the readout from the memory at the same angular position of the spoke 8 during each full cycle of rotation of the spoke.
Thus, the start point of the image will always be in the same position. The control means also measures the repetition rate of the operation of the switch 14 and inhibits a readout from the memory until the speed of the wheel reaches 3 Srpm. After this point has been reached, the control means controls the readout rate from the memory to the array directly in proportion to the instantaneous repetition rate determined by the control means.
The block diagram of Figure 3 shows how the memory of the controller 16 can be programmed. As shown, a desired image is created with the aid of an IBM* PC
compatible computer 20 and configured as a 200 x 16 pixel array. The array is downloaded into a programmer 22 which converts the driving data stream into a processor compatible processing stream. The processor in turns loads the program for the array into the memory of the controller or electronics 16.
It will be appreciated that instead of a battery, power can be induced into the controller from a rotary part of the bicycle using an induction system.
As an alternative, power can be fed from a source mounted on the bicycle frame to the wheel through a slip ring arrangement.
While the display system has been described in connection with a bicycle wheel, it will be appreciated that it can be applied to any other rotating member for example to an automobile wheel (or hub caps therefor) or a funfair wheel.
The bicycle may include an electric speedometer (not shown) which derives its input ie the pulse repetition rate of the reed relay switch from the controller.
The controller 16 can be in two parts, a first part fixed to the spoke and a second part which can be plugged into the first part and which contains the power supply (the batteries) and the memory. The plug-in part can be removed for security purposes and/or to reprogram the memory. The controller 16 calculates the speed and position of the wheel 4 based on the output of the position sensor 14, and calculates when to flush each LED in array 10.
Instead of the trigger being provided by a reed relay, it can be provided by an accelerometer (not shown) mounted on the wheel at a point radially distant from the axis of the wheel. As the wheel rotates, the accelerometer will have a component of motion in the direction of the gravitational field and this will cause the accelerometer to generate a sinusoidal electrical output as the wheel rotates. This output can then be used by the controller to illuminate the LEDs at any desired attitude as the wheel rotates.
Of course, while only one elongate array of LEDs is disclosed, any number * trade-mark of arrays can be mounted on the wheel in different attitudes and shapes to form a complex display pattern as required.
Other possible triggering devices that can replace the magnetic reed switch arrangement include an optical or electromagnetic wave system or a Doppler effect sound transmitter/receiver for sensing eg a reflector on a stationary part of the bicycle frame to provide either a sinusoidal output synchronised with the rotation of the wheel or a simple impulse each time the wheel has completed one revolution.

Claims (7)

What is claimed is:
1. A display system for a rotary wheel mounted for rotation about an axis inclined to the direction of the gravitational field, the system comprising:
an elongate array of light emitting devices to be mounted on the wheel extending in a radial direction, a controller to be mounted on the wheel and connected to the light emitting devices for controlling the energisation of the light emitting devices in a sequence in accordance with a program stored in a memory of the controller, an accelerometer to be mounted on the wheel spaced from the axis of the wheel to provide an output indicative of the speed and angular position of the wheel, and control means responsive, each time said output indicates that a predetermined angular position has been reached to initiate an energising cycle for the array of light emitting devices by the controller at instants in the cycle determined in accordance with the program stored in the memory, the control means varying a rate of energisation in accordance with the speed of the wheel whereby to provide an apparently stationary image on the wheel corresponding to the program stored.
2. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the memory is reprogrammable to store data representing different images.
3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said light emitting devices comprise light emitting diodes.
4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means inhibits operation of the controller until it senses that the rotary speed of the wheel has reached a predetermined rate.
5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheel is a bicycle wheel and the array, the controller, the accelerometer and the control means are all mounted on a common spoke of the wheel.
6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control means comprises two parts, a first part secured to the rotary wheel and a second part containing the memory, the second part being detachable from the first part and connectable to a computer for reprogramming.
7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the second part contains a power source for the system.
CA002295768A 1997-06-21 1998-06-18 Visual display systems Expired - Lifetime CA2295768C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9713035.5A GB9713035D0 (en) 1997-06-21 1997-06-21 Visual display systems
GB9713035.5 1997-06-21
PCT/GB1998/001794 WO1998059333A1 (en) 1997-06-21 1998-06-18 Visual display systems

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2295768A1 CA2295768A1 (en) 1998-12-30
CA2295768C true CA2295768C (en) 2006-12-05

Family

ID=10814640

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002295768A Expired - Lifetime CA2295768C (en) 1997-06-21 1998-06-18 Visual display systems

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0990228B1 (en)
AT (1) ATE229215T1 (en)
AU (1) AU8117698A (en)
CA (1) CA2295768C (en)
DE (1) DE69809910T2 (en)
ES (1) ES2189193T3 (en)
GB (2) GB9713035D0 (en)
WO (1) WO1998059333A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2347546A (en) * 1999-03-02 2000-09-06 Adflash Limited Wheel display system
WO2002023515A1 (en) * 2000-09-14 2002-03-21 Hoch David J Electronic display apparatus
GB2382211A (en) * 2001-09-15 2003-05-21 Hyena Games Ltd Display device for a bicycle wheel
BG64549B1 (en) 2002-09-11 2005-07-29 ШИВАРОВ Стефан Device for data visualization
DE10353420B4 (en) * 2003-11-08 2007-05-16 Felix Boettcher One-piece or multi-part cabin for a bicycle taxi
US7079042B2 (en) * 2003-12-19 2006-07-18 Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A. System for providing illuminated displays on a vehicle tire or wheel assembly
GB2409440A (en) * 2003-12-22 2005-06-29 Civil Engineering Dynamics Ltd Vehicle wheel lighting
US7477208B2 (en) 2004-02-11 2009-01-13 Dan Matlock Rotational light emitting display apparatus
GB2434856B (en) * 2006-01-25 2011-03-30 H Grossman Ltd Improved vehicles
DE102010029638A1 (en) 2010-06-02 2011-12-08 Robert Bosch Gmbh Yo-yo device for use as toy, has control device controlling display device based on acceleration of base body detected by multi-axis acceleration sensor, where sensor detects various components of acceleration in different directions
DE102010052916B4 (en) * 2010-11-30 2016-09-15 Carbofibretec Gmbh Impeller of a bicycle with strain gauges and / or LED display as well as bicycle
GB201507979D0 (en) 2015-05-11 2015-06-24 Cambridge Design Partnership Ltd And Speed Of Light Media Ltd Display systems
CN107507548B (en) * 2017-09-12 2021-12-07 康佳集团股份有限公司 Wheel display device and display method
CN108056766A (en) * 2017-12-11 2018-05-22 北京骑骑智享科技发展有限公司 Physical sign parameters display methods and device
DE102019118849A1 (en) * 2019-07-11 2021-01-14 Bombardier Transportation Gmbh Vehicle, in particular rail vehicle, with a device for generating images, animations for external viewers

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GB8718119D0 (en) * 1987-07-30 1987-09-03 Yuen Kwok Tung Display device
US5057827A (en) * 1988-10-17 1991-10-15 Nobile Fred E Means and method for producing an optical illusion
GB2272791A (en) * 1992-11-24 1994-05-25 Lawford Delroy Marks Revolving information displays
JPH06301349A (en) * 1993-04-12 1994-10-28 Yoshiro Nakamatsu Moving virtual display device
US5548300A (en) * 1994-12-20 1996-08-20 Avix Inc. Manual rotation type display device
US5748157A (en) * 1994-12-27 1998-05-05 Eason; Richard O. Display apparatus utilizing persistence of vision
DE19502735A1 (en) * 1995-01-28 1996-08-01 Kohne Ingenieurbuero Gmbh Method for producing a display using individually controllable light sources and display device with multiple light sources
GB2311401B (en) * 1996-03-18 1998-02-25 Simon Richard Hamilto Lawrence Novelty cycle safety lights devices
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GB9621061D0 (en) * 1996-10-09 1996-11-27 Frontline Display Limited Image display apparatus
US5800039A (en) * 1997-06-27 1998-09-01 Lee; Jen-Wang Warning device for bicycle having changeable patterns

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2295768A1 (en) 1998-12-30
GB2326513B (en) 2001-12-05
AU8117698A (en) 1999-01-04
DE69809910D1 (en) 2003-01-16
GB9713035D0 (en) 1997-08-27
WO1998059333A1 (en) 1998-12-30
ES2189193T3 (en) 2003-07-01
GB9813219D0 (en) 1998-08-19
ATE229215T1 (en) 2002-12-15
EP0990228A1 (en) 2000-04-05
DE69809910T2 (en) 2003-09-04
GB2326513A (en) 1998-12-23
EP0990228B1 (en) 2002-12-04

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Effective date: 20180618