WO2012151642A1

WO2012151642A1 - A lamp signaling device and system

Info

Publication number: WO2012151642A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000595
Authority: WO
Inventors: George Robert Braun
Original assignee: Left Field R&D Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-06
Filing date: 2012-05-28
Publication date: 2012-11-15

Abstract

A signaling device for a motor vehicle includes a transmitting module coupled to a lamp circuit of the motor vehicle. The transmitting module is operable to signally communicate with an auxiliary lighting unit to display a lamp signal of the motor vehicle. The auxiliary lighting unit is provided remote the motor vehicle, such as on a safety garment wearable by an operator of the motor vehicle.

Description

A LAMP SIGNALING DEVICE AND SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a signaling device and system, and in particular, though not limited to, a signaling device and system for use with a motor vehicle such as a motorcycle. The invention further relates to a garment for operators or passengers of the motor vehicle, the garment being suitable for use in combination with the signaling device and system of the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Signaling systems for motorcyclists are known in which the motorcyclist wears a jacket or other garment having light emitting elements incorporated therein. The light emitting elements are operable to replicate lamp signals generated by the motorcycle's lamp signaling system. The light emitting elements of the garment are typically connected to the lamp signaling system of the motorcycle by electrically conductive cabling that is releasably coupled to the motorcycle.

Such systems typically include a rechargeable battery attached to or incorporated into the fabric of the garment which is used to power the light emitting elements. It has been found that batteries incorporated into the fabric of the garment are bulky and require regular charging due to the power requirements of the light emitting elements resulting in a relatively short battery life. In most cases the re-charging process requires the battery to be removed from the jacket. A large rechargeable battery incorporated into a safety garment also presents a risk to the motorcyclist should they fall from the motorcycle. Conventional motorcycle jackets are bulky and padded by nature for the purposes of cushioning and protecting the wearer in the event of a fall. However, this type of padding is of little benefit to the wearer when a battery of the usual size and shape is incorporated into the fabric of a jacket. Recharging generally requires the battery to be removed from the jacket or from power leads to the jacket. Neither situation is convenient for a motorcyclist who cannot use the jacket while the battery is recharging.

There is therefore a need to address or at least ameliorate one or more of the aforementioned problems or provide a commercially useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a signaling device for a motor vehicle including a transmitting module which when operably coupled to the electrical circuit of the motor vehicle, the transmitting module signally communicates with a remotely located auxiliary lighting unit to cause the display of a visual indicia corresponding with a signal of the motor vehicle.

Conveniently, the signals of the motor vehicle may include lamp signals such as directional, brake, fog, hazard and/or emergency indicator signals.

Preferably, the transmitting module includes a transmitter that signally communicates with the auxiliary lighting unit wirelessly. In one embodiment, the Bluetooth™ wireless standard is used for this purpose.

In alternative embodiments the wireless transmitter may communicate using a radio frequency (RF) or 3G communication signal.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a safety garment for use in combination with the signaling device according to the invention, the safety garment including an auxiliary lighting unit operable to receive a transmitted signal of a motor vehicle from the transmitting module of the signaling device and light emitting devices that are illuminated to provide a visual indicia corresponding with the signal of the motor vehicle.

Preferably, the auxiliary lighting unit includes a switching circuit to provide a pulse width modulated supply of electrical power to the light emitting devices. In one embodiment of the invention the safety garment includes a battery power supply, and preferably the power supply is a rechargeable power supply, and ideally the power supply includes an indicator to enable the battery to be re-charged by an inductive coupling arrangement.

Preferably, the power supply is inductively coupled to a charge pad for recharging.

Conveniently, the charge pad does not form part of the garment and may form part of the body of the motor vehicle, for example the charge pad may form part of a motorcycle seat or in instances where the motorcycle includes panniers, the inductor supplying power to the garment may be formed as a lining in the pannier such that placing the garment into the pannier and activating the charging operation, the battery power supply of the garment is re-charged by the power supply of the vehicle.

Preferably, the auxiliary lighting unit includes one or more light emitting elements in the form of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Advantageously, the LEDs are provided in flexible tubing or panels incorporated into fabric of the safety garment.

In one embodiment of the invention the light emitting elements may be of the same colour or of different colours.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is also provided a signaling system for a motor vehicle including signaling means and a safety garment wearable by an operator or passenger of the motor vehicle, the signaling means configured to wirelessly communicate with the safety garment to display visual indicia corresponding to signals transmitted from the motor vehicle.

Further features and/or aspects of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof which are given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like features are referred to by like reference numerals. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a signalling system for a motor vehicle according to embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 1 A illustrates a garment of the signalling system; and

Fig. 2 is an illustration of a jacket according to the prior art incorporating signalling display means that provide various visual indicia.

Skilled addressees will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the relative dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be distorted to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

^■Referring to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1 and 1A, there is shown a block diagram illustrating a signaling system according to the invention, indicated generally by reference numeral 1. The signaling system 1 is suitable for use with a motor vehicle including but not limited to a motorcycle. Signaling system 1 includes signaling means 2 provided in the form of a signaling device 3 and signal display means provided in the form of a garment 5. The garment 5 is worn by an operator or passenger of the motor vehicle and signals of the vehicle are displayed on a portion of the garment.

Signaling device 3 is coupled to lamp circuitry 4 of the vehicle and includes a transmitting module in the form of a transmitter 7 for wirelessly transmitting signals 9, such as pulse width modulated signals representative of a signal of the vehicle to the garment 5. In one embodiment of the invention the transmitter 7 uses the Bluetooth™ wireless standard of communication. However, it should be understood that any form of wireless or radio frequency (RF) communication is envisaged by the invention.

Electronic control unit 11 includes a receiver 1 and associated electronic circuitry for receiving the signal 9 representative of a signal of the vehicle. Electronic control unit 11 further includes a switching module 16 operable to switch the pulse width modulated signal 9 and a battery 17. In one embodiment of the invention the garment 5 is a jacket or vest and the electronic control unit 11 is concealed within fabric at the bottom of the rear of the jacket. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the electronic control unit 11 can be accommodated and concealed within fabric in other locations of the garment 5.

The garment 5 includes one or more light emitting elements 18 namely Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) incorporated into the fabric of the rear of the garment. The LEDs may be in the form of tubing or flexible panels and are configured as indicia on one or more surfaces of the garment such as on the front, back and/or sleeves of the garment 5.

An example of a jacket according to the prior art incorporating signaling display means on the rear of the jacket is illustrated in Fig. 2. The jacket, indicated generally by reference numeral 20 has a number of indicators 22, 23, 24 located on the back of the jacket for displaying signals of a vehicle. The indicators may include a brake light 22, right indicator 23 and left indicator 24. The jacket 20 further includes hardware modules 27, 28, 29 such as electronic charging components and/or batteries. The indicators and hardware modules are provided on a flexible pad 30 which is secured to the rear of the garment. A power means 32 is provided within the fabric of the jacket 20 and is connected to the flexible pad 30 by one or more electrical connections 33.

The garment 5 of the lamp signaling system according to embodiments of the present invention provide signaling indicia similar to that described for prior art jacket 20. However, the system and garment of the present invention include a range of improvements compared with prior art devices. Firstly, battery 17 is smaller than usual arrangements and is housed in a thin, flexible electronic control unit 11 which is sealably enclosed within the fabric of the garment. Thus the battery and the associated electronic control circuitry are housed in a single compact water or moisture proof unit alleviating the need for further hardware modules. In other embodiments, the power supply may be formed from a number of batteries that are interconnected to form a single power supply with individual small and thin batteries located at various regions throughout the garment to avoid a large, uncomfortable and potentially dangerously sized power supply being incorporated into the garment.

Further, it is not necessary to remove the battery from the jacket in order to charge it. In a preferred embodiment the battery is inductively charged using a charge pad 34 as shown in Fig. 1 which may be located on some part of the vehicle, for example on a seat or in a storage compartment of the vehicle such as a pannier on a motorcycle. In the case of a motorcycle the charge pad 34 could be provided as part of the seat thus enabling recharging of the battery to occur while a motorcyclist is operating the vehicle and wearing the garment. In is also envisaged that a flexible solar panel 35 incorporated on a surface of the garment could be used for battery charging purposes. In other embodiments, alternative sources of energy such as a miniature wind turbine could be used to recharge the battery during movement of the vehicle.

In further embodiments, the garment 5 is fitted with an "inductive charging pod" 36 that is releasably affixed to the garment 5 with an arrangement of fasteners such as "Velcro" that may be released from the garment for placing into close proximity with an inductively coupled charging arrangement. The "inductive charging pod" 36 is electrically coupled to the electronic control unit 11 with a "flying lead" arrangement. In yet another embodiment, a "flying lead" arrangement with an electrical connector is fitted to the garment and in electrical connection with the electronic control unit to provide a means for direct electrical connection to a power source for re-charging the battery in the garment.

In one particular embodiment, an electrical connector 37 is provided that can connect to a portable electronic communication device 38, such as a cell phone, tablet PC, laptop, PDA or the like, to enable re-charging of the battery (or at least temporary use) of the portable electronic communication device by drawing electrical power from the garment 5. According to some embodiments, applications (or "apps") for controlling the signaling system 1 can be downloaded to the portable electronic communication device 38. In this way, light emitting elements 18 in the garment 5 can display a range of patterns and/or messages depending on the application. Consequently, the device, system and garment of the present invention have a wide range of applicability as discussed below.

Illumination of the light emitting elements 18 using pulse modulation switching also provides a distinct advantage in that it has been found to increase battery life significantly as compared with supplying power to the illuminating devices with direct power. This switching reduces the power demand on the battery 17 leading to increased battery life.

The signaling system 1 will now be described in use. The signaling device 3 is typically provided in the form of a small control unit which can be readily fitted to a vehicle such that it is coupled to the vehicle's lamp circuitry. When a signal is activated by an operator of the vehicle, whether it be a brake signal, indicator signal or other signal, a signal 9 representative of the activated lamp signal is wirelessly transmitted by transmitter 7 to electronic control unit 11 housed within the garment 5. The signal 9 is received by receiver 14 in the electronic control unit 11 before it is switched by switching module 16 and the resulting switched signal is used to power the light emitting elements 18. The light emitting elements 18 are configured as indicia on one or more surfaces of the garment and act as an auxiliary lighting unit to display the same signal activated by the operator of the vehicle. In one particular embodiment, the signal is a message that is transmitted from the vehicle to the jacket for display. A message such as a reduced speed limit or a road traffic warning could be displayed.

The device, system and garment of the present invention are particularly applicable for use by emergency services personnel attending the scene of accidents. Personnel such as police or paramedics typically activate one or more sequences of lights on their vehicles to alert motorists or pedestrians in the vicinity of accident. By wearing a garment and utilising a system according to the invention the police officer or paramedic can similarly display a sequence of emergency lights on their person to alert other people to their attendance and location at the scene.

By virtue of the applications that can be downloaded via the portable electronic communication device 38 to control the signaling system 1 , embodiments of the present invention can be adapted for use in other applications. For example, the garment 5 can be worn by boat participants where the garment is in the form of a life jacket. The garment 5 can be in the form of a vest or the like worn by security personnel, for example at sporting events or concerts. The garment 5 can also be worn by bicycle riders, such as couriers and the like.

In some embodiments, the visual indicia on the garment 5 can include advertising and promotional material.

In some embodiments, the visual indicia on multiple garments 5 can be controlled simultaneously to display the same signal, message or advertisement or a portion of a signal, message or advertisement.

. In some embodiments, the signaling system 1 can comprise a locating device, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device, to facilitate location of the wearer of the garment 5. In some embodiments, the GPS device is provided in the portable electronic communication device 38. Such embodiments can be used by motorists to aid location of the vehicle, for example, during a breakdown or by boat participants to aid their location and the location of a vessel. Police and other emergency personnel can use such embodiments, for example, to locate such personnel during a riot, siege, pursuit, or when fighting a fire. Such location information can be relayed to a central command location to aid in coordination of an operation.

These are just some examples of areas in which the device, system and garment of the invention could be used and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to use for these applications. Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. It is to be appreciated by those of skill in the art that various modifications and changes can be made in the particular embodiments exemplified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form or suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims

1. A signaling device for a motor vehicle including a transmitting module coupled to the lamp circuit of the motor vehicle, the transmitting module operable to signally communicate with an auxiliary lighting unit to display a lamp signal of the motor vehicle, wherein the auxiliary lighting unit is provided remote the motor vehicle.

2. A signaling device as claimed in claim 1 in which the transmitting module is operable to signally communicate with the auxiliary lighting unit using a pulse width modulated signal.

3. A safety garment for use in combination with the signaling device according to claim 1 , the safety garment including the auxiliary lighting unit operable to display the lamp signal of a motor vehicle transmitted by the transmitting module of the lamp signaling device.

4. A safety garment as claimed in claim 3 in which the auxiliary lighting unit is operable to receive a pulse width modulated signal from the signaling device, the auxiliary lighting unit including a switching circuit for switching the pulse width modulated signal for illumination of the unit.

5. A safety garment as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 including a rechargeable power supply which is inductively charged.

6. A safety garment as claimed in claim 5 in which the power supply is inductively coupled to a charge pad.

7. A signaling system for a motor vehicle including signaling device and a safety garment wearable by an operator of the motor vehicle, the signaling device configured to wirelessly communicate with the safety garment to display visual indicia corresponding to signals of the motor vehicle.

8. The signaling system of claim 7 including a transmitting module coupled to the lamp circuit of the motor vehicle.

9. The signaling system of claim 7 or 8 including an auxiliary lighting unit comprising the visual indicia.

10. The signaling system of claim 9 wherein the auxiliary lighting unit includes a switching circuit for switching a pulse width modulated signal received from the signaling device for illumination of the visual indicia.

11. The signaling system of any of claims 7 to 10 including a rechargeable power supply.

12. The signaling system of claim 11 in which the rechargeable power supply is inductively charged.

13. The signaling system of claim 11 or 12 in which the power supply is inductively coupled to a charge pad.

14. The signaling system of claim 13 in which the charge pad forms part of the motor vehicle.

15. The signaling system of claim 11 in which the safety garment includes a flexible solar panel for recharging the power supply.

16. The signaling system of any of claims 7 to 15 including a portable electronic communication device for receiving applications to control the visual indicia.

17. The signaling system of any of claims 7 to 16 including a location device to determine a location of a wearer of the garment.