Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-20
2003-06-03
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Automobile
C362S800000, C362S802000, C362S464000, C362S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06572251
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel and, more particularly, to a light emitting assembly that is activated to emit light by centrifugal force upon rotation of the vehicle wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle tire may be mounted with a light emitting assembly, which emits light to give a visual warning signal and, to produce a lighting effect simultaneously. Because the light emitting assembly is controlled manually through a manual switch, it continuously consumes battery power if the user forgets to switch off after parking of the vehicle.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel that eliminates the aforesaid problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel, which is automatically activated to emit light upon running of the vehicle. Another object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel, which is automatically turned off to eliminate waste of battery power when the vehicle is stopped.
To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel comprises a casing, a circuit board, a lead frame, and an elastic metal contact member. The casing is fixedly fastened to one wheel of a vehicle, comprising a receiving open chamber in one end thereof and a battery cell mounted in the receiving open chamber. The circuit board is mounted on the casing, having a first sidewall disposed outside the receiving open chamber of the casing, a light emitting element installed in the first sidewall, a second sidewall facing the receiving open chamber of the casing, a first annular metal contact and a second annular metal contact concentrically disposed in the second sidewall and electrically connected to the two opposite electrodes of the light emitting element respectively. The second annular metal contact is electrically connected to one terminal of the battery cell through the casing. The lead frame is suspended in the receiving open chamber and spaced between the first annular metal contact and the second annular metal contact and is electrically connected to the other terminal of the battery cell. The springy metal contact member is suspended from the first annular metal contact of the circuit board. During rotation of the wheel, the elastic metal contact member is forced by centrifugal force to contact the lead frame, and therefore the LED is turned on to emit light. On the contrary, when the wheel is stopped, the elastic metal contact member is disconnected from the lead frame and returns to its former position so as to turn off the LED.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5392200 (1995-02-01), Milde
patent: 6485169 (2002-11-01), Ragner
patent: 2237369 (1991-01-01), None
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
O'Shea Sandra
Payne Sharon
LandOfFree
Light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Light emitting assembly for vehicle wheel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3153537