GB2526431A

GB2526431A - Illuminated signs

Info

Publication number: GB2526431A
Application number: GB1506032.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allister Barker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-04-09
Filing date: 2015-04-09
Publication date: 2015-11-25
Also published as: GB201406422D0; WO2015155311A1; GB201506032D0

Abstract

A portable illuminated sign comprises a stencil or transparency 6, a light guide panel 8 and a base compartment 5. A line of LEDs along the top of base compartment illuminate the light guide panel. A frame 3 of a casing 2 overlies the display area and a backing support 9. The LEDs transmit light into the panel 8 through the bottom edge of a transparent-plastics sheet (12; Fig. 4) which has a density and consequent light Âtransmissivity that increases with distance from the LEDs, and which has a rough rear face 13 for refracting light to illuminate the display area. The refracted light is augmented by light reflected back into the sheet by reflector sheets (14, 15; Fig. 4). The sign may be held in a pocket provided on an item of clothing, in particular a high visibility jacket, to improve the wearers visibility and provide a warning.

Description

Illuminated Signs This invention relates to illuminated signs and is concerned in part cul ar w th ii 1 nmi nated signs that are portable and more especially are of a kind that can be carried on clothing or other item worn by a user. An illuminated sign of this latter kind may be used, for example, as a safety precaution in warning others of the presence of the user.

According to the present invention there is provided an illuminated sign for providing a display of one or more words or other items of information by light that is transmitted through a stencil or transparency from a panel which in provision of the display emits light substantially uniformly throughout a display area of the panel that in the display is partially obscured by the stencil or transparency.

The panel may include a transparent sheet and one or more light sources for transmitting light into the transparent sheet by edge illumination of the sheet. The density of the transparent sheet may vary according to distance from the one or more light sources such that transmissivity of light within the transparent sheet increases with this distance. Light transmitted into the transparent sheet may exit a front face of the sheet for illuminating the display area substantially uniformly, the light being refracted from a rear face of the sheet and augmented by light reflected back through that face.

An illuminated sign in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are a front elevation and a side elevation respectively of a portable unit that forms the illuminated sign according to the invention; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the unit of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a component panel of the unit of Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 5 and 6 are illustrative respectively of front and rear views of a garment fitted with the unit of Figures 1 and 2, for wear by a user of the illuminated sign.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the illuminated sign in this example is formed as a compact, elongate unit 1 that is adapted to be carried by a child for displaying the word CHILD in emitted light as a precautionary safety measure to warn others, especially road-users, of the presence of the child. The unit 1 has a front casing 2 of silicone rubber which includes an open-rectangular frame 3 that defines the display area of the sign. The frame 3 is upstanding from a portion 4 of the front casing 2 that overlies an elongate base-compartment 5 of the unit 1. The compartment 5 contains electric batteries and electronic circuitry on a printed-circuit board (not shown) that is powered from the batteries. The electronic circuitry in this example includes twelve light-emitting diodes (tEDs) which are closely spaced from one another in a line (not shown) along the top of the base-compartment 5.

The LEDs emit red light and all direct their emitted light upwardly from the base-compartment 5 for illuminating the word CHILD in the display area of the sign.

More specifically, and as illustrated in exploded form in Figure 3, the unit 1 comprises a stencil 6 with the word CHILD cut out, that is exposed within the display area overlying the front surface 7 of a component light-panel 8. The light-panel 8 with the overlying stencil 6 is sandwiched in the unit 1 between the frame 3 of the casing 2 and a backing-support 9 of the unit 1.

The backing-support 9 incorporates the base-corrpartment 5 which in the assembled unit 1 nests within the portion 4 of the front cas ng 2, and has a pushbutton sw tnh 10 that on sucness ye depressions turns the LEDs ON and OFF. The reguired manual operation of the switch 10 is effected by depressing a region 11 of the portion 4 which in the assembled unit 1 is located over the switch 10.

The light-panel 8, which is represented schematically in exploded form in Figure 4, is a laminate having a central, thin, and desirably-flexible, sheet 12 of an acrylic or other transparent plastics material. The sheet 12, which has a rear face 13 that is backed in the unit 1 by a glossy-white reflective sheet 14 which is itself backed by a silver sheet 15 to enhance reflection from the sheet 14. The bottom edge 16 of the sheet 12 is located close to the line of LEDs so that the light they emit is transmitted upwardly into the sheet 12 via the edge 16. The rear face 13 of the sheet 12 is rough to provide for refraction of the upwardly-directed light out through the front and rear faces 17 and 13 of the sheet 12. The light refracted from the rear face 13 through the front face 17 is augmented by reflection back through the rear face 13 from the superimposed sheets 14 and 15.

One or more semi-transparent diffuser screens 18 (two are shown) are included in the light-panel 8 on the front face 17 of the sheet 12. Moreover, the material of the sheet 12 is formed with its density varying according to distance from the line of LEDs so that transmissivity of light within the sheet 12 increases with this distance. This in conjunction with diffusion through the one or more screens 18, gives rise to a general uniformity of the resultant illumination from the light-panel 8 throughout the display area beneath the stencil 6.

The light from the light-panel S that emerges through the cut-outs of the stencil 6 (in conjunction with the remaining, obscuring parts of the stencil 6) displays the word CHILD in a distinctive and attention-getting manner. The electronic circuitry within the base-compartment 5 may i nd tide provi si on for the TFDs to turn ON and OFF repeatedly so that there is flashing of the displayed word to increase the attention-seeking effect of the sign. Moreover, provision may be made for the brightness of the sign and its flashing to be selectively variable or to be automatically varied in dependence upon detected conditions of visibility. In addition, provision may be made for the sign to turn ON and/or OFF automatically in dependence upon ambient light-level sensed by the unit 1.

The unit 1 is readily portable, and may be fitted permanently or otherwise to a garment worn by the user. More particularly, it may be conveniently carried in a transparent pouch that may be affixed to, or provided as part of, clothing or other item worn by a user. Art example of a garment carrying the unit 1 is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 5 and 6 show a child's garment in the form of a high-visibility jacket 19 that incorporates an elongate, transparent pouch 20 affixed to the rear of the jacket 19. The unit 1 is shown entered lengthwise into the pouch 20 to extend horizontally across the back of the child-user, and display the word CHILD to reveal the nature of the wearer and give warning in particular to road users.

The word displayed by the unit 1 may be readily changed from CHILD for other purposes in conveying warning or other information, simply by changing the stencil 6 overlying the light-panel 8. In this regard, the casing 2 of the unit 1 may be of a rubber that enables it to be readily removed, or peeled back at the front edges, to facilitate withdrawal of the stencil 6 for replacement.

The replacement stencil may, for example, have the word HAZARD cut-out, or may have one or more cut-outs representative symbolically of a cyclist or other road user. Additionally, more or fewer LEDs than the twelve of the unit 1 described above may be used, and the no] our or nol ours of the 1 ght em tted from them may differ from red; the colour or colours chosen may for exariple be related to the context of use of the sign displayed.

The light-panel 8 may be modified by the omission of the silver sheet 15 and the location of a white sheet to the front of the sheet 12 in place of the diffuser screens 18. Furthermore, the modification may involve an increase in thickness (together with rigidity) of the sheet 12 from the thickness (for example, of 1 to 2 millimetres) in the light-panel 8 described above.

Tnstead of using the stencil 6 (in which information to be conveyed is defined by one or more cut-outs from the sheet material of the stencil), the unit 1 may be modified to replace the stencil 6 by a transparency in which the information to be conveyed is defined by one or more transparent areas within a dark or darkened background of a plastics film or other sheet.

Claims

Claims: 1. An illuminated sign for providing a display of one or more words or other items of information by light that is transmitted through a stencil or transparency from a panel which in provision of the display emits light substantially uniformly throughout a display area of the panel that in the display is partially obscured by the stencil or transparency.
2. An illuminated sign according to claim 1 wherein the panel includes a transparent sheet, and one or more light sources for transmitting light into the transparent sheet by edge illumination of the sheet.
3. An illuminated sign according to claim 2 wherein the one or more light sources comprise a plurality of light-emitting diodes located along an edge of the transparent sheet for emitting light into the transparent sheet.
4. An illuminated sign according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the density of the transparent sheet varies according to distance from the one or more light sources such that transmissivity of light within the transparent sheet increases with this distance.
5. An illuminated sign according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein light transmitted into the transparent sheet exits the transparent sheet via a front face of the transparent sheet for illuminating the display area substantially uniformly.
6. An illuminated sign according to claim 5 wherein a rear face of the transparent sheet opposite its front face refracts light from within the transparent sheet through its front face.
7. An illuminated sign according to claim 6 wherein light transmitted through the stencil or transparency is derived from light refracted from the rear face augmented by light reflected back through the rear face.
6. An illuminated sign according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the panel has a casing which includes an open frame for defining the display area of the sign and which is for enclosing the stencil or transparency overlying the display area.
9. An illuminated sign according to any one of claims 1 to S wherein the panel has a pouch for carrying the sign, the pouch being transparent or partially transparent to enable the display provided by the sign to be viewed from outside the pouch.
10. An illuminated sign according to claim 9 wherein the pouch is attached to an article of clothing for wear by a user of the sign.
11. An illuminated sign substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

12 A garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings, carrying an illuminated sign according to any one of claims 1 to 11.