Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – External signal light system
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-17
2003-04-22
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
External signal light system
C340S468000, C345S082000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06552658
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to directional flashing warning lamps, more particularly to a light emitting diode (LED) directional lamp, and, even more particularly, to an LED directional lamp which meets Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) publishes many new, revised, and reaffirmed standards each year in three categories, including Ground Vehicle Standards (J-Reports). Information on these standards is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.sae.org.
Two of these SAE standards are pertinent to this invention. SAE standard J595 provides design guidelines, test procedure references, and performance requirements for flashing incandescent warning lamps. It is intended to apply to, but is not limited to, surface land vehicles. The purpose of the standard is to establish general requirements for flashing warning lamps for use on authorized emergency, maintenance, and service vehicles. This standard applies only to incandescent warning lamps, presumably because heretofore only incandescent lamps could meet this standard.
A flashing warning lamp is defined by the standard as a lamp in which the light source is turned on and off by circuit interruption producing a repetitive flash of light which is directionally aimed and will project a flashing beam signal over a minimum area from 20° right to 20° left on a horizontal plane and from 10° up to 10° down on a vertical plane.
Reprinted herebelow are the photometric requirements of a warning lamp as stated in Tables 1 and 2, respectively of J595:
SAE Standard J595
TABLE 1
PHOTOMETRIC DESIGN GUDELINES
Test
Points
Luminous Intensity, Candela
deg
White
Yellow
Red
5L
80
40
20
10U-V
200
100
50
5R
80
40
20
20L
80
40
20
10L
200
100
50
5L
400
200
100
5U-V
600
300
150
5R
400
200
100
10R
200
100
50
20R
80
40
20
20L
120
60
30
10L
300
150
75
5L
800
400
200
H-V
1200
600
300
5R
800
400
200
10R
300
150
75
20R
120
60
30
20L
80
40
20
10L
200
100
50
5L
400
200
100
5D-V
600
300
150
5R
400
200
100
10R
200
100
50
20R
80
40
20
20L
80
40
20
10L
200
100
50
5L
400
200
100
5D-V
600
300
150
5R
400
200
100
10R
200
100
50
20R
80
40
20
5L
80
40
20
10D-V
200
100
50
5R
80
40
20
TABLE 2
PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS
Luminous Intensity, Candela
Test
White
Yellow
Red
Points
Zone
Zone
Zone
Zones
deg
Total
Total
Total
1
5U-10L
600
300
150
5U-20L
H-20L
5D-20L
5D-10L
2
10U-5L
320
160
80
10U-V
10U-5R
3
5U-5L
1000
500
250
H-10L
5D-5L
4
5U-V
3600
1800
900
H-5L
H-V
H-5R
5D-V
5
5U-R
1000
500
250
H-10R
5D-SR
6
10D-5L
320
160
80
10D-V
10D-5R
7
5U-10R
600
300
150
5U-20R
H-20R
5D-20R
5D-10R
SAE standard J1318 also applies to directional warning lamps. The standard defines a directional warning lamp as a lamp that produces a repetitive flash of light which is directionally aimed and will project a flashing beam signal over a minimum area from 20° right to 20° left on a horizontal plane and from 10° up to 10° down on a vertical plane. Reprinted herebelow are the photometric requirements of a directional warning lamp as stated in Tables 4 and 8, respectively, of J1318:
SAE Standard J1318
TABLE 4
PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS CLASS 1
DIRECTIONAL GASEOUS DISCHARGE WARNING LAMPS
Minimum Flash Energy Requirements
Zone Totals (Candela-Seconds)
Flash Energy-Candela Seconds
Test Point
Signal
Zone
Degree
White
Yellow
Red
Blue
#1
5U-10L
108
54
27
*
5U-20L
H-20L
5D-20L
5D-10L
#2
10U-5L
56
28
14
*
10U-V
10U-5R
#3
5U-5L
184
92
46
*
H-10L
5D-5L
#4
5U-V
664
332
116
*
H-5L
H-V
H-5R
5D-V
#5
5U-R
184
92
46
*
H-10R
5D-5R
#6
10D-51
56
28
14
*
10D-V
10D-5R
#7
5U-10R
108
54
27
*
5U-20R
H-20R
5D-20R
5D-10R
TABLE 8
PHOTOMETRIC DESIGN GUIDELINES
DIRECTIONAL, GASEOUS DISCHARGE WARNING LAMPS
Minimum Flash Energy Guidelines
Warning Lamps
Flash Energy-Candela-Seconds
Test Point
Signal
Degree
White
Yellow
Red
Blue
10U-5L
12
6
3
*
10U-V
32
16
8
*
10U-5R
12
6
3
*
5U-20L
12
6
3
*
5U-10L
32
16
8
*
5U-5L
68
34
17
*
5U-V
100
50
25
*
5U-5R
68
34
17
*
5U-10R
32
16
8
*
5U-20R
12
6
3
*
H-20L
20
10
5
*
H-10L
48
24
12
*
H-5L
132
66
33
*
H-V
200
100
50
*
H-5R
132
66
33
*
H-10R
48
24
12
*
H-20R
20
10
5
*
5D-20L
12
6
3
*
53-10L
32
16
8
*
5D-5L
68
34
17
*
5D-V
100
50
25
*
5D-5R
68
34
17
*
5D-10R
32
16
8
*
5D-20R
12
6
3
*
10D-5L
12
6
3
*
10D-V
32
16
8
*
10D-5R
12
6
3
*
Both standards J595 and J1318 are incorporated herein by reference. Heretofore, only incandescent lamps have been manufactured to meet J595, and only incandescent and gas discharge lamps have been manufactured to meet standard J1318. What is needed, then, is a light assembly comprising LEDs which meets the requirements of SAE J595 and J1318.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention broadly comprises a light emitting diode flashing directional warning lamp, having a housing, a printed circuit board secured within the housing, a plurality of light emitting diodes mounted to the printed circuit board and operatively arranged to produce light which is directed away from the housing and directionally aimed to project a beam over a minimum area from approximately 20° right to 20° left on a horizontal plane and from 10° up to 10° down on a vertical plane, and a driving circuit operatively arranged to flash the plurality of light emitting diodes.
The principal object of this invention is to provide a light emitting diode flashing directional warning lamp which meets Society of Automotive Engineers Standards J595 and J1318.
Another object of the invention is to provide a directional warning lamp that is more efficient to operate, and less susceptible to vibration, than conventional incandescent and gas discharge lamps.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings and claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4290048 (1981-09-01), Cutlip et al.
patent: 4893111 (1990-01-01), Roller
patent: 4914731 (1990-04-01), Chen
patent: 5175528 (1992-12-01), Choi et al.
patent: 5313188 (1994-05-01), Choi et al.
patent: 5325271 (1994-06-01), Hutchisson
patent: 5504660 (1996-04-01), Heidorn
Pond Gregory
Roller Philip C.
Suckow Chris A.
Swarthout Brent A.
The Bilicki Law Firm P.C.
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