US2593901A

US2593901A - Signal light

Info

Publication number: US2593901A
Application number: US54771A
Authority: US
Inventors: James D Lash
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1948-10-15
Filing date: 1948-10-15
Publication date: 1952-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1969-04-22

Description

Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F ICE J'SIGNAL I LIGHT i James'l): Lash,- Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to ,GeneraLElectrieCompany; a corporation: of

I. New .York

.1: Application Dctober15, 1948;;Se1' al No: 54,171

3 Claims.

This invention relates to signal lights, and its principal object is to provide a signal light for use 7 on .life rafts,. life jacketaweather balloons, bicycle handle bars, and other objectsto which scription of species thereof andfromthe accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary,: elevational, partly sectional view along the line |-.-I .of Fig. 2 of a signal light of. my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the signal light shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 Ba longitudinal sectional view of a light controlling lamp enclosure useful. in my signal light shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

J Referring .to Figs. land 2, the signal light comprises a light-transmitting enclosure l cylindrical in shape having one closed end and an open end for receiving the incandescent lamp 2 within the enclosure I. The enclosure I and the lamp 2 are mounted on a metal casing 3 enclosingan electric storage or dry cell 4 and having a shoulder 5 providing a stop for the enclosure 1. The casing 3 has a threaded portion 6 for engaging the threaded lower portion of the cylindrical wall ll of cell 4 which is spring pressed in the direction of the lamp 2 in the usual manner. The

outer shell contact of base 9 is connected to the other terminal (not shown) of cell 4 through metal casing 3 to complete the circuit including lamp 2 and cell 4. The lamp 2 may be of the type used for flashlights and sold under the designation of G-3 and the cell 4 may be a conventional flashlight cell having an open circuit voltage of approximately 1.5 volts.

The cylindrical enclosure 1 is made of a lighttransmitting material, such as glass, or an organic plastic, methyl methacrylate, for example, and the outer surface of its cylindrical wall 8 and its end wall 12 is corrugated as shown at l3 of the drawing. The corrugations 13 on the end wall 12 of the enclosure 1 are circular and concentric as shown in Fig. 2, and those on the cylindrical wall 8 are annular and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the enclosure I.

In a specific embodiment of the signal light, the corrugations [3 were inch wide and had a curvature with a inch radius, the bore of the enclosure l was inch in diameter and 1 inch long and the thicknessor end wall 1 land wall 8 was 1%; inch. Thelamp 2* was'disposed' in aboutr'the center of the enclosure. l. The signallight so constructed produces spaced, narrow, bandshaped beams of light approximately two or-three times higher in candlepower than the lightfrom the bare lamp 2 alone. The beams produced are divergent because the :concentrated filament in lamp 2 is at a different angle with respect to the optical axis of each of the light converging lenses formed by the respective corrugations l3. When the signal light is mounted on a life jacket afloat and moved in a random manner by the motions of the water or the wearer, the diverging beams of the light are: moved to produce a flashing-light effect at remote points to attract the attention of rescuers.

Weather balloons sent up at night areffrequently provided with a battery-operated lamp so that the travel of the balloon may be followed with a telescopic instrument. Often the sight on these balloons is lost because at long distances the steady light from the lamp cannot be distinguished from that of a star. My signal light producing a multiplicity of divergent beams is useful for producing a flashing light from such balloons which usually oscillate due to the turbulence of the air.

The light controlling enclosure shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing is similar in all respects to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that its end wall I4 is shaped as a single light concentrating lens. In a specific embodiment, the outer spherical surface of wall l4 had a inch radius and the overall length of the enclosure was 1% inches. The other dimensions thereof were the same as the enclosure of Figs. 1 and 2. The signal light comprising such an enclosure with the lamp 2 mounted at the focus of lens 14 is particularly suitable for mounting on the handle bars of a bicycle, or the like, for producing a single, steady driving beam in a forward direction and a plurality of narrow diverging beams to the side. The movement of the handle bar causes the diverging beams to produce a flashing effect on points to either side of the direction of travel.

Obviously, colored filters may be interposed between the lamp and the cylindrical wall 5 of the enclosure to obtain various colored lighting effects to the sides of the unit and an opaque screen may be interposed between the lamp and the eyes of the rider of the bicycle to keep the light from his eyes.

The width of the corrugations I3 of both enclosures may be changed to suit a particular service. For example, a width of A inch may be preferred if the motion of the unit is so fast that the emitted light appearsto be steady with corrugations A; inch wide. Obviously, enclosures of other shapes having light converging lenses with their respective optical axes spaced apart an angular distance of not more than 189 and by which light emitted by the enclosed lamp is concentrated into narrow diverging beams may be used. For example, a spherical enclosure having parallel corrugations with the focus of each of the lenses formed by the corrugations at the filament of the lamp may be preferred for certain mountings.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A signal light comprising a compact light source and a light controlling cylindrical enclosure mounted about said source and having a light transmitting end wall and parallel elongated annular light converging lenses in its side Wall, the optical axes of said lenses being in paral lel planes disposed at different angles to said source so that light emitted by the source in the direction of said side wall is concentrated into narrow diverging beams by said lenses whereby random movement of the light produces a fiashing effect at distant points.

2. A signal light comprising a compact light source and a light controlling cylindrical enclosure mounted about said source and being closed at one end, the cylindrical side wall of said enclosure having parallel annular light converging lenses the optical axes of said lenses being in parallel planes disposed at different angles to said source, the end wall of said enclosure having concentric ring-shaped light converging lenses, the axes of the lenses in said end wall being disposed in concentric cylinders about said source so that light emitted by the source is concentrated into narrow, band-shaped, diverging beams by said lenses whereby random movement of the light produces a flashing efiect at distant points.

3. A signal light comprising a compact light source and a light controlling cylindrical enclosure mounted about said source and having an end wall shaped as a light concentrating lens with its focus at said source for projecting a beam of light forwardly of said signal light and having also parallel elongated annular light converging lenses in its cylindrical wall with the axes of said lenses disposed in parallel planes normal to the axis of said first-named lens to concentrate light from the source incident on said side wall into narrow diverging beams whereby movements directing the forwardly projecting beam produce a flashing effect to the side of said signal light.

JAMES D. LASH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

England Aug. 17, 1923