TWM525034U - Personal lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A compact portable path illuminating light can be coupled to mobility assisting devices such as walking sticks, canes and wheelchairs. A night beacon can automatically illuminate at timed intervals to assist a user in locating the light in the dark. This night beacon can be selectively enabled and disabled by a user. The status of various operating modes of light are visually confirmed through illumination of several different colored lights.

Description

Personal lighting system

This creation is about a personal lighting system.

Personal lighting systems have been developed to illuminate low or no ambient light travel paths to assist in the search for roads in the dark. Some of these lighting systems are intended to assist those who need mechanical assistance in walking or moving. These systems are used as flashlights that can be attached to, for example, crutches and walkers to provide an illuminated path of travel with low ambient light.

Some of these lighting systems operate automatically in combination with low ambient light and motion. For example, U.S. Patent No. 7,075,153 discloses a fully automatic illumination system that illuminates a path of travel in combination with low ambient light and motion.

Because these lighting systems are typically used by older people using crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, walking sticks, and other mobility aids, they help provide users with an easy and easy way to understand how they are attached to Operational feedback of the lighting system of the class of devices. In addition, it helps to assist the user in locating the position of the mobility aid in the dark, such as when waking up from sleep at night.

This creation develops a lighting system for a more user-friendly system that can quickly and clearly provide a user with a lighting system that visually confirms the working state or mode of operation of the lighting system in a straightforward manner. By using a set of different colored indicators, the lighting system described below can communicate to the user and visually confirm the operational status of their lighting system. For example, one or more luminaires can be set up to confirm that the lighting system is activated and in a fully operational mode. Setting one or more luminaires can also be used to confirm that the lighting system is turned off or in a low power sleep mode or standby mode of operation.

This creation has a low battery indicator to provide additional lighting system information to visually signal the need to replace one or more batteries to provide power to the system. The creation also has a visual indicator for the detection system that can be used by the user at any time and in any lighting system mode of operation. By selecting a detection function (such as pressing a switch), one or more lamps can be illuminated and/or pulsed in a particular sequence or color to confirm that all subsystems in the illumination system are fully operational.

A particularly useful feature of the illumination system of the present invention is a night light or night light that can be selectively activated or deactivated by a user. At start-up, the nighttime signal can be flashed at moderately spaced intervals, with low power and low lumen flash, saving battery power. In the case where the user does not need or need a night light, the user can easily disable the function only by pressing the button. For example, if the user is disgusted with a flashing night light (such as when going to sleep), the user can selectively disable the night light function.

As described more fully below, the illumination system can be quickly, easily attached, carried, or otherwise mounted to virtually any item, including living or inanimate objects. These items include not only motion aids, but also headbands for helmets and headlights. Belts, footwear, animal reins and collars, sports, marine and bicycle products, and outdoor or sports equipment for clothing and belts. In some applications, the illumination system can be used with reins, collars, and the like to determine the location of a pet or other animal in the dark.

While many applications of the illumination system are conceivable, a particularly useful application is to use on an assisted walking implement and to facilitate use on a walking stick and cane. Due to its micro-sized components and the advantages of small size and light weight, an embodiment of the present invention is very suitable for use on a walking stick and a cane without a large and bulky housing or heavy electronic components to drag the crutches or the user. .

In one embodiment, the lighting system includes three general operating modes, namely, an on, off, and test mode. These modes are selected by pressing one of two momentary touch or push button switches for short or long periods of time. For example, by briefly pressing and releasing a "off" switch, the microprocessor that controls all lighting functions enters a sleep or standby mode in which all electronic devices and lights are turned off except for the lowest power of the microprocessor. . This mode is designed to set the microprocessor in a low-power "sleep" or standby mode to conserve battery power, where no lights are illuminated and the power delivered to the microprocessor can be ignored Or the smallest. This mode is optional when the lighting system is not used regularly.

Upon pressing the close switch, the user can be explicitly visually notified that the illumination system has entered a shutdown or sleep mode, such as by a pulsed or flashing red light, such as a red LED. The red LED can flash one, two, three or more times to signal to the user that the lighting system has been turned off when the shutdown switch is activated. Flashing or pulsed three red light systems are best suited for this purpose. When the object to which the system is attached is not frequently used, or is to be placed in a vehicle, an airplane, a car, or stored in a closet or a space where no lamps are required. To use this shutdown or sleep mode. The illumination system can easily cancel its sleep mode and is set in the active mode only by pressing an open switch.

Upon pressing the open switch, the user will be explicitly visually notified that the illumination system has entered an "on" mode of operation, such as by a pulsed or flashing green LED. The green LED can flash one, two, three or more times to signal to the user that the lighting system has been turned on when the switch is turned on. Flashing or pulsed three green lights are best suited for this purpose.

When the switch or button is briefly pressed and released, a microprocessor leaves the sleep or standby mode and becomes fully functional with the system's electronics and sensors. When the system is set to the on mode, three or more independent or "child" modes of operation may be provided.

One of these "in use" modes of operation is the night light mode. In this mode, and when combined with low light or no ambient or ambient light and with little or no motion, colored luminaires such as blue LEDs will briefly flash at intervals such as every few seconds. The interval between the light rays excited by each scintillation pulse for about 5 seconds helps the user to confirm the position of the object to which the illumination system is attached in low light or in the absence of light.

This pulse-activated LED operates at low power levels while the user is asleep to conserve battery power and minimize light intensity. As described below, if the user is disgusted with the nighttime flashing, the nightlight mode can be selectively disabled or turned off. In one embodiment, the night light mode can be turned on or off continuously and repeatedly by pressing a close button for a relatively long period of time, such as a few seconds. For example, the night light mode can be deactivated by pressing the close button for 5 seconds. The night light mode can be re-enabled by pressing the close button for a longer period of time (such as 5 seconds).

Another sub-operation mode in this mode is an active mode in which the microprocessor periodically samples or queries the ambient light level and the action of the illumination device. If a low or no illumination level is sensed and the lowest level of motion is sensed, one or more bright illumination path lights, such as white LEDs, are turned on by the microprocessor to illuminate the route of travel.

The microprocessor can sample the ambient light level provided by a light sensor and the action level input signal provided by a motion sensor, and if it meets a predetermined degree, the microprocessor will point Brighten the white LEDs for a predetermined time. In an application, this time may be about 15 seconds, but may be programmed or selected for any other reasonable time, such as 10 seconds to a minute or longer.

If the microprocessor detects a predetermined low level of light and a minimum level of motion at any time during the illumination of the white LED, the microprocessor will maintain the other end of the illumination path, for example another 15 seconds. However, if the ambient light increases beyond a predetermined level at any point in the illuminated path period and/or the detected action falls to a predetermined level of motion, the microprocessor is processed after a brief period of time. The main path illumination will be turned off and a lower level of light and/or a higher level of motion will be awaited before the path fixture is illuminated again.

That is to say, if the ambient light increases beyond the preset minimum level during the illumination path, or the action level is lower than the preset minimum level, or both conditions occur, the path lamp will remain from that moment. Light another predetermined lighting time, such as 15 seconds, and then turn off. This delayed illumination provides a short path illumination time for the user to use as a welcome light instead of abruptly turning off the path illumination in the middle of the lighting period.

If the sensed ambient light increases beyond the minimum level during path illumination and the sense of motion during the brief welcome illumination exceeds the lowest level, the microprocessor will Newly launch the path lighting mode to its full working state. The welcome illumination time for extended path illumination is to prevent buffering time from losing path illumination due to brief exposure to, for example, a beam of light from a car headlight.

As noted above, the illumination system will avoid turning on the path illumination when sufficient ambient light is detected. This feature can significantly save battery power.

The lighting system can include a test mode that can enter this mode at any time and in any mode of operation. This mode visually allows the user to confirm that the lighting system is fully operational. In one example, the open switch can be depressed and held down for a longer period of time (such as three, four, five seconds or longer). It works well in five seconds.

Once the on button or switch is depressed (for example) for five seconds, its main path illumination will illuminate for a short period of time (such as five seconds). One or more of the indicator lights can also be flashed or pulsed during this path illumination. Two different colored LEDs can flash in sequence, or a single two-color LED (such as a green or red LED) alternately flashes red and green light during this short interval (five seconds).

Another useful feature of the illumination system is the low battery indicator, which is activated at a predetermined remaining battery level, such as when the remaining 30 minutes of battery power causes the main path to illuminate at full power or at a constant power level. . In one embodiment, when the battery reaches a first low reserve level, a dedicated low power indicator light (such as a red LED) will begin to flash briefly, such as once every two seconds.

When the battery is further drained to a predetermined second low reserve level, the low battery indicator will be caused to flash rapidly two or more times in rapid succession, such as every two seconds. When the power level drops to a third lower level, the power consumption of the battery is suspended to prevent power leakage.

While the lighting system described below provides significant visual information and feedback to the user, the actual user interface can be fairly simple and easy to understand. Two instantaneous open relationships allow the user to set the lighting system in "on", "off" or test mode to control the operation of the night light. A two-color "red/green" LED or a red LED and a green LED flash green three times when the open button is pressed, and flash three times when the close button is pressed. This method visually confirms the operating status of the lighting system and confirms that the system is active when one of the buttons is pressed. A dedicated red LED provides low battery indication and a dedicated blue LED provides nighttime signalling.

In order to further understand the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention, together with the drawings and figure numbers, detail the specific components of the present creation and the effects achieved thereby.

10‧‧‧Lighting system

12‧‧‧ objects

14‧‧‧Connecting parts

16‧‧‧Battery

18‧‧‧ casing

20‧‧‧ Back wall

22‧‧‧End cover

24‧‧‧Shell

26‧‧‧Locking ring

30‧‧‧foam material

34‧‧‧Latch

36‧‧‧Joystick

40‧‧‧ buckle

42‧‧‧ anchoring part

46‧‧‧Lights

50‧‧‧ top wall

54‧‧‧Low battery indicator LED

56‧‧‧ night signal LED lights

60‧‧‧Two-color indicator LED light

63‧‧‧Red LED

64‧‧‧Photoelectric crystal

70‧‧‧Open switch

72‧‧‧Close switch

78‧‧‧Microprocessor

82‧‧‧Voltage regulator

84‧‧‧Accelerometer circuit

88‧‧‧Low battery detection circuit

90‧‧‧Battery assembly

92‧‧‧Photonic Crystal Circuit

100‧‧‧ accelerometer circuit

108‧‧‧ Built-in connectors

110‧‧‧Connector

Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a movable object coupled to a representative embodiment of the illumination system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the input and output circuits of the electronic device and microprocessor used in the illumination system of Figure 1.

Figures 5a, 5b and 5c depict a logic flow diagram for programming the microprocessor of Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 depict representative circuits for providing input and output circuits from the microprocessor of Figure 4.

Referring to Figures 1-2, there is shown a portable lightweight illumination system 10 of the present invention attached to a portion of a movable item 12, such as a cane or crutches. A detachable connector 14 holds the illumination system 10 on the article 12, which in this example is a cylindrical rod. A sleeve 18 is disposed on the illumination system having an arcuate inner surface surrounding the article 12 to assist in holding the illumination system 10 at a desired location on the article 12.

As shown in Fig. 3, in one embodiment, the sleeve 18 can be in the form of an elongated hollow tubular body as a simple access battery compartment. A plurality of batteries 16 are stacked in series in the casing 18 for simplified battery installation. That is, the battery is improperly positioned or prevented by avoiding the battery being arranged side by side. The outer convex side of the sleeve can be simply snapped or slid open and slip closed on the inner concave side of the sleeve to load and remove the battery, or a detachable end cover 22 can be provided for installation and Replace the battery for use. The lighting system enters standby or sleep mode when a new battery is loaded.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the connector 14 is secured to the rear wall portion 20 of the housing 24. An adjustable locking ring 26 is lined with a soft rubber or foam material 30 for clamping and conforming to the outer surface of the movable article 12. A detachable latch 34 includes an eccentric lever 36 that selectively engages and releases an annulus or buckle 40 to open and close a serrated anchor portion 42.

The rear wall 20 can include a removable wall for mounting and removing a battery that supplies power to the lighting system 10. The sleeve 18 and the housing 24 are integrally formed from a durable lightweight plastic material or formed from the same composition. The housing 24 is formed with a plurality of openings or through holes for receiving one or more lighting fixtures (such as path lighting fixtures) and indicator lights and switch actuators.

That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the bottom wall 44 of the housing 24 includes one or more path lighting fixtures 46, such as one or more white LEDs 46. The top wall 50 of the housing 24 includes a low battery indicator LED 54 (red), a night signal indicating LED light 56 (blue), and a switch The two-color indicator LED light 60 (green/red).

The top wall 50 also includes an opening for use with a light sensor, such as optoelectronic crystal 64. Alternatively, the photovoltaic system can be mounted on the back wall 20. The "on" switch 70 provided in the present application can be a momentary touch button switch, and the same is true for the "off" switch 72 provided in the present creation. A brief press of the open switch 70 causes the LED 60 to flash green, and a brief press of the close switch 72 causes the LED 60 to flash red.

As shown in FIG. 4, the illumination system 10 is controlled by a microprocessor 78 that is powered by a power source such as one or more batteries 16. In one embodiment, three AAA batteries can be used and used in conjunction with a conventional voltage regulator 82. When the battery is loaded, the tough system in microprocessor 78 is initialized and the night signal indicator 56 is set to the default enable or enable mode. The user can deactivate and turn off the night signal indicator 56 by pressing the off button switch 72 for a longer period of time or seconds (such as 5 seconds or longer). When the off button switch 72 is pressed again for a longer period of time or a few seconds (such as 5 seconds or longer), the night signal mode of operation can be re-enabled and the night signal indicator 56 can be extinguished. This enable and disable function can be repeated from one of the lighting system's on mode or off mode in sequence.

The movement of illumination system 10 is detected by a motion sensor, such as a three-axis accelerometer circuit 84, for detecting motion in all three dimensions in the space.

A low battery detection circuit 88 causes LEDs 54 to flash or flash when the batteries 16 reach a predetermined low power/voltage level.

As described herein, the microprocessor 78 is programmed to control the illumination system 10. A program logic example of the microprocessor 78 is shown in the flowcharts of Figures 5a, 5b, and 5c. According to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c, for providing input signals to the microprocessor 78 and for the base A representative electronic circuit for operating the illumination system 10 from the output signals from the microprocessor 10 is shown in Figures 6 and 7.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the microprocessor 78 receives a number of input signals processed by the hardware and associated firmware programming that controls the operation of the illumination system 10, and various functions thereof are further described below. A battery assembly 90 includes one or more batteries 16 (Fig. 4) for supplying power to a standard voltage regulating circuit 82 (Fig. 4). In addition to all of the LEDs directly powered by the battery 16 and the low battery detection circuit 88, the output signal from the voltage regulator 82 supplies power to all of the electronic devices. This design has the advantage of being able to use smaller, lighter and less expensive voltage regulators.

By momentarily pressing the open button switch 70, an interrupt service routine causes the microprocessor 78 to activate the LED 60 to flash or flash three times in green to inform the lighting system that it has entered the "on" mode of operation. Upon depression of the open button 70, the tough system within the microprocessor 78 switches the illumination system 10 from the "off" mode to the active "on" mode. In this on mode, the optoelectronic crystal circuit 92 and the low battery detection circuit 88 are periodically enabled, such as once every 50 milliseconds, to sample or investigate these circuits. Investigating these circuits can extend battery life compared to continuously monitoring the use of electricity. The sampled or investigated circuit and the operational level values provided by the accelerometer 84 can be periodically used as the input signal to the microprocessor 78. The above investigation can be performed at any suitable interval, such as every 50 milliseconds.

When the user selects the on mode and detects that the ambient light is below a predetermined level and simultaneously detects that the action is above a predetermined level, the path illumination LEDs 46 are illuminated (for example) for 15 seconds to be in the case. A path light is emitted in front of or from the housing 24 at a downward angle.

Under the condition that the optoelectronic crystal 64 and the accelerometer circuit 84 sense the ambient light and the predetermined level of motion during the previous interval (15 seconds), at the end of each interval of the path illumination, the LEDs will Continue to emit path light for another interval (15 seconds). If the ambient light level increases beyond a predetermined preset value or the action level falls below a predetermined preset value, or both of these conditions occur, the microprocessor 78 will turn off the path illumination LEDs 46 and continue Sampling these levels. If the ambient light level drops below its preset value and the action level increases beyond its preset value, the microprocessor 78 will illuminate the primary path illumination LEDs 46 again.

Figure 7 shows an accelerometer circuit 84 for a three-axis accelerometer. This accelerometer is available from ST Micro. The accelerometer circuit 84 can include a set of three micromechanical capacitors fabricated in MEMS technology, wherein the capacitance of the capacitors changes in response to changes in external acceleration forces. The accelerometer circuit 84 includes hardware and built-in firmware to detect vibration and measure motion in three directions.

A conventional well-known interface (such as an I2C communication interface) is disposed between the microprocessor 78, the accelerometer circuit 84, and the accelerometer interrupt line that is coupled to the input of the microprocessor 78. The communication interface and interrupt line provide a system for determining actions when an action occurs and for transmitting information to the microprocessor 78.

The microprocessor 78 sets an operational threshold at the accelerometer circuit 84 via the I2C interface. The accelerometer circuit 84 activates an interrupt line connected to one of the microprocessors 78 when the accelerometer circuit 84 detects an action or shock level that exceeds a predetermined threshold stored in the accelerometer circuit memory. This in turn causes the microprocessor firmware to enable an interrupt service routine that uses the I2C interface to request acquisition and receipt of action level information from the accelerometer circuit 84. This informs the microprocessor that there is already one of two enabling conditions for opening The path luminaire 46 is activated.

The second condition that must be initiated is based on the ambient light level detected by the optoelectronic crystal 64 and processed by the optoelectronic crystal circuit 92. At a fixed interval, the microprocessor output switches to a low power state, causing the optoelectronic crystal to start. This regular optoelectronic crystal sampling system extends battery life.

If the ambient light level sensed by the optoelectronic crystal circuit 92 falls below a predetermined level, and if the action level detected by the accelerometer circuit 84 is lower than a predetermined or predetermined level, the firmware A microprocessor output signal will be activated to cause the night light 56 to begin blinking at a predetermined rate (e.g., every 5 seconds). This helps the user confirm the position of the lighting fixture 10 in the dark. While in the "on" mode of operation and the ambient light level signal from the optoelectronic crystal circuit is above a predetermined threshold, the firmware in the microprocessor 78 will ensure that the path illumination LEDs 46 are at their predetermined operating time (such as 15 seconds) ) will not work outside.

As shown in FIG. 6, the low battery detection circuit 88 includes a voltage divider disposed in the low battery detection circuit 88. An output from the voltage divider is coupled to an analog-to-digital input of the microprocessor 78. The low battery detection circuit 96 is periodically activated by the microprocessor 78 by switching one of the outputs to a low power or ground state, thereby completing the low battery detection circuit.

The output of the low battery detection circuit 88 is coupled to an analog-to-digital input on the microprocessor 78 to periodically sample and determine the voltage actually remaining in the cells. The low power LED 54 can flash or flash at a predetermined rate (e.g., every two seconds) when the charge drops below a first predetermined level. When the amount of power drops below a second predetermined voltage level, the low battery LED 54 flashes or flashes twice in rapid succession, for example, every two seconds. When the power drops below a third predetermined voltage level, the microprocessor 78 suspends all use cases of the battery to avoid battery leakage.

To determine if the lighting system is operating at full force, a test mode can be initiated by pressing and holding the open button switch 70 for a longer period of time, such as 5 seconds or longer. After this preset time, the path illumination LED 46 will turn on one end for a longer period of time (e.g., five seconds) and illuminate the red and green LEDs 60 in an alternating sequence. This test function can be started from one of the modes in which the job mode is turned on or off. After the test is completed, the lighting system 10 automatically returns to its previous mode of operation. This function resides on the firmware of the microprocessor 78.

To turn off the illumination system or set it in the standby or hibernation mode, the user can momentarily depress the close button switch 72 for a short period of time to initiate the interrupt service routine, thereby causing the microprocessor 78 to activate the red LED 63. Flashes or flashes (for example) three times to confirm that the system's mode has switched from on to off. In this mode, the microprocessor 78 enters a sleep mode to conserve power, but can be enabled by momentarily pressing the on button switch 70. Instant and short means less than one or two seconds.

The microprocessor 78 can be conveniently programmed by a board built-in connector 108 that is coupled to an external programming device. A connector 110 is only used during onboard microprocessor programming. The microprocessor programming voltage is greater than the maximum voltage allowed by the accelerometer circuit 84 to remove a connector from the connector 110 during programming to prevent the elevated programming supply voltage from damaging the accelerometer circuit 100.

This work has revealed the best embodiments that are currently contemplated. Various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it can be understood that the concepts and systems of the present invention can be implemented differently from the above description in the context of the present invention.

10‧‧‧Lighting system

12‧‧‧ objects

18‧‧‧ casing

24‧‧‧Shell

26‧‧‧Locking ring

46‧‧‧Lights

50‧‧‧ top wall

54‧‧‧Low battery indicator LED

56‧‧‧ night signal LED lights

60‧‧‧Two-color indicator LED light

64‧‧‧Photoelectric crystal

70‧‧‧Open switch

72‧‧‧Close switch

Claims (14)

An illumination system comprising: a housing; a connector coupled to the housing for attaching the housing to a movable object; a power source carried by the housing; and a housing carried by the housing a main illumination source for providing a light illumination path; a microprocessor carried by the housing; an ambient light sensor carried by the housing, the ambient light sensor being lower than the ambient light a predetermined timing is to provide a first input signal to the microprocessor; a motion sensor carried by the housing, the motion sensor is when the housing is subjected to an action higher than a predetermined action level Providing a second input signal to the microprocessor; the microprocessor is configured to receive power from the power source to the primary light source when receiving both the first and second input signals; a positioning light source that is capable of operating only at a second predetermined level below ambient light; and a first user actuated switch carried by the housing that selectively activates and prevents the The positioning light source emits light. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the first user actuating open relationship comprises a first momentary closing switch that is turned off for a first short time, and the main light is turned off. The source places the microprocessor in a low power standby mode. The illumination system of claim 2, wherein the first instantaneous closing switch prevents the positioning light source from emitting light when pressed for a second period longer than the first short time, and is pressed again The locating light source that initiates the pulse is illuminated during a third period that is longer than the first brief time. The lighting system of claim 2, further comprising a first pulse trigger indicator carried by the housing, the first pulse trigger indicator being pulsed when the microprocessor is in the standby mode Trigger a predetermined number of times. The illumination system of claim 1, further comprising a second user actuated switch carried by the housing for selectively activating the primary illumination source to emit light. The illumination system of claim 5, wherein the second user actuated switch comprises a momentary open switch that is tied to a complete second for a short period of time to cause the microprocessor to be completely Turn on the power mode. The lighting system of claim 6, further comprising a second pulse trigger indicator carried by the housing, the second pulse trigger indicator being in the fully powered mode when the microprocessor is The pulse is triggered a predetermined number of times. The illumination system of claim 6, wherein the momentary open switch illuminates the primary illumination source for a predetermined period of time during a fourth period of depression that is longer than the second brief period of time. The illumination system of claim 8, further comprising a second pulse trigger indicator that is triggered by the pulse during the fourth period. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the second pulse triggering indicator comprises a two-color LED that alternately pulses the first and second colors of light. The lighting system of claim 1, further comprising a low-battery indicator light that starts to be pulsed slowly at a first low battery voltage level and at a second low battery voltage level Pulse triggering is faster. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor enters a low power sleep mode when the voltage from the power source reaches a predetermined low level. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the movable object is selected from the group consisting of Group of objects: canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, canes, helmets, bicycles, belts, collars, reins, shoes, headlights and clothing. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the positioning light source is operable only below a predetermined level of motion.