Vehicle Warning Light System and Method

• US 20140070937A1
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anderson J. Thomas, Christopher Broadwater
• Original Assignee: Anderson J. Thomas, Christopher Broadwater
• Inventors: Anderson, J. Thomas, Broadwater, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,917,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/464
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/447 with indication of the braking strength or speed changes, e.g. by changing the shape or intensity of the indication

Abstract

This invention relates to an externally mounted vehicle warning light system and related method, employing an accelerometer illuminating different lights to indicate to other drivers whether a vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, coasting or braking.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted motion warning light system for comprising:

a power source, a fuse, an accelerometer, an accelerometer interface, a wiring harness, a plurality of light sockets, a plurality of lighting elements, a plurality of base components for attaching said lighting elements to the outer surface of a vehicle, one or more lens covers to cover said lighting elements.

2. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising a brake switch between the power source and wiring harness, which brake switch, upon activation, overrides the signal from the accelerometer interface.

3. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the accelerometer has digital outputs, no fewer than two axes and a frequency of 100 Hz or more.

4. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the accelerometer has a frequency of 200 Hz or more.

5. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the accelerometer is a piezoelectric accelerometer.

6. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the site of attachment of the lighting elements is one or more of the upper portion of a vehicle'"'"'s rear windshield, the rear bumper area, one or both rear view mirrors, the front grill area and the front bumper area.

7. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the lights indicating various stages of motion are varied in color.

8. The warning light system of claim 7, further comprising wherein the light indicating acceleration is green, the light indicating coasting is yellow, the light indicating deceleration is pink and the light indicating braking is red.

9. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the light bulb comprised within each lighting element is a halogen bulb of either the high-pressure or low-pressure gas-discharge variety.

10. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein each the lighting element is comprised of one or more LED bulbs.

11. The warning light system of claim 7, further comprising wherein heavy acceleration or heavy deceleration cause the related lights to blink rather than burn constantly.

12. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the shapes of each lighting element lens cover are different.

13. The warning light system of claim 11, further comprising wherein the shapes are:

a downward-facing arrow for deceleration, a circle, square or rectangle for coasting, and an upward-facing arrow for acceleration.

14. The warning light system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the lighting elements combine to form a single continuum bar comprising a single lens cover or a plurality of interlocking lens covers indicating motion as follows:

heavy deceleration illuminates the far left of the bar, lighter deceleration illuminates lighting elements to the left of center, coasting illuminates lighting elements in the center of the bar, light acceleration illuminates lighting elements to right of center, and heavy acceleration illuminates the far right of the bar.

15. The warning light system of claim 14, further comprising wherein the lens cover of the continuum bar is colored as follows:

red on the left side with a lightening shade as it approaches the center, yellow in the center, and green on the right side with a lightening shade as it approaches the center.

16. A method of providing information regarding vehicular movement by employing the vehicle warning light system of claim 1.