Illuminating temperature indicator

• US 20070024456A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Joseph Currie
• Original Assignee: Joseph Currie
• Inventors: Currie, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/441,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20070024456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/02 Means for indicating or recording specially adapted for thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/143 for measuring surface temperatures

Abstract

An illuminating acrylic temperature-indicating device that provides for a visual temperature indication of a fluid within a conduit, or a storage tank. The acrylic indicator mixes and blends the illumination from imbedded blue LEDs and red LEDs and separate electronic control circuits control each color of LEDs with separate temperature sensing thermistors. The indicator glows with blue, shades of magenta, and red colors as the temperature of a monitored liquid changes from cold to hot. The individual control circuits that control the illumination modulation intensity of the red and blue LEDs each provide a user with a manual adjustment that allows a user to set the hot and cold temperature sensing parameters of the device. The acrylic indicator illuminates with enough light intensity to be visible under all normal lighting conditions and is intended to operate continuously.

Claims

1. An illuminating temperature indicator to visually monitor the temperature of a liquid or a gas within a conduit or a container comprising:

a light transmissive acrylic piece with two or more blue light emitting diodes disposed within the base side of the acrylic piece, and two or more red light emitting diodes disposed within the same base side of the acrylic piece, and a light reflective surface on or against at least a base side of the acrylic piece, and surface facets on at least a top side of the acrylic piece,

and the light transmissive acrylic piece serving as a mixing and blending device that combines the illumination from the independently and separately controlled blue and red light emitting diodes creating shades of magenta illumination,

a first control circuit for control of the intensity modulation of the blue light emitting diodes and a second control circuit for controlling the intensity modulation of the red light emitting diodes,

a first control circuit temperature sensing thermistor and a second control circuit temperature sensing thermistor,

the first control circuit modulating the illumination intensity of the blue light emitting diodes upon detection of, and the temperature of a cold liquid or gas, and the second control circuit modulating the illumination intensity of the red light emitting diodes upon detection of, and the temperature of a hot liquid or gas,

a power supply common to both the first and second control circuits.

2. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein a first control circuit is adjusted to modulate the illumination intensity of two or more blue light emitting diodes to full brilliance when cold liquid or gas is detected by the first control circuit, and to decrease the blue light intensity of the light emitting diodes in a generally linear manner to zero illumination emitted as the temperature of the monitored liquid or gas increases through warm to hot.

3. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein a second control circuit is adjusted to modulate the illumination intensity of two or more red light emitting diodes to full brilliance when hot liquid or gas is detected by said second control circuit, and to decrease the red light intensity of the red light emitting diodes in a generally linear manner to zero illumination emitted as the temperature of the monitored liquid or gas decreases through warm to cold.

4. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the conduit or container is any pipe for movement of any liquid or gas, or a petroleum or natural gas pipeline, or a water pipe or fixture, or a motor vehicle tank truck or railroad tank car, or any tank for storage of a liquid or gas.

5. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second control circuits each provide an accessible manual adjustment that allows the user to electrically calibrate the modulation intensity of the blue and red illumination provided to the light transmissive illumination mixing acrylic indicator.

6. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reflective surface on or against at least a base side of the acrylic piece is smooth, granular, striated, segmented, or faceted.

7. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the surface facets are triangular shaped grooves, or other shapes with surfaces that reflect light from the internally mounted diodes back into the acrylic piece.

8. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power supply unit transforms both 60 Hz 115 vac, and 50 Hz 220 vac to five volts dc.

9. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second control circuits are electrically powered by a solar cell power supply.

10. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein all four of the component parts, the light transmissive acrylic mixing piece, the first and second control circuits, the first and second temperature sensing thermistors, and the power supply are remotely located one from another, or mounted and affixed apart.

11. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein all four of the component parts, the light transmissive acrylic mixing piece, the first and second control circuits, the first and second temperature sensing thermistors, and the power supply are collocated in any combination.

12. The illuminating temperature indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein light emitting red and blue diodes are mounted in close proximity to at least a first light transmissive surface of a light transmissive acrylic illumination mixing piece to direct red and blue light into the acrylic piece and the light emitting diodes are mounted in an alternating geometric or circular pattern.