Pole light having a programmable footprint

• US 5,575,550 A
• Filed: 02/06/1995
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Appeldorn, Roger H., Cobb, Sanford Jr., Dreyer, John F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gromada, Denise L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan B.
• Application Number:
  US08/384,679
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 385/31, 385/32, 385/33, 385/36, 385/900, 385/901, 385/902, 385/123, 362/32, 362/327, 362/328, 362/431, 362/308, 362/309, 40/547, 40/560
• US Class Current: 362/559
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/085 of high-built type, e.g. street light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/088 with lighting device mounted on top of the standard, e.g. for pedestrian zones
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 385/901 Illuminating or display apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a pole light for directing or delivering light in a desired pattern to a surface proximate to the pole light. The present invention also provides a method for lighting a plurality of desired regions on a surface in a precise and predetermined pattern useful, for example, as a traffic management and guidance system.

Claims

1. A pole light for delivering light in a desired pattern to a surface proximate to the pole light, said pole light comprising:

(a) a light conduit having a proximate end and a distal end;

(b) the distal end of said light conduit serving as an area source of quasi-collimated light;

(c) a light distributing member further distal from said area source of light, said light distributing member comprising a plurality of prismatic elements positioned relative to one another so as to direct portions of said area source of light to illuminate a surface proximate to said pole light in a precise and predetermined pattern, said prismatic elements selected from the group consisting of reflective prismatic elements and refractive prismatic elements.

2. The pole light of claim 1 wherein said light conduit comprises a bendable light conduit comprising a light transport zone bounded by a light confining surface.

3. The pole light of claim 2 wherein said light conduit comprises:

a monofilament, light transmitting core selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers surrounded by;

a fluoropolymer clad surrounded by;

a jacket made of a polymer which has been extruded from the fluoropolymer core;

whereby said light conduit is capable of emitting light circumferentially, transverse to the conduit length.

4. The pole light of claim 1 wherein said light conduit comprises a wall member of a transparent material, said wall member including a structured surface on one side and a smooth surface opposite said structured surface on the other side, at least a portion of the cross-section of said wall member lying in a smooth arcuate curve, said structured surface having a linear array of substantially right angled isosceles prisms arranged side-by-side, the perpendicular sides of said prisms making an angle of approximately 45°

with the tangent to said smooth surface opposite said structured surface, so that a predetermined portion of the light entering the light conduit within an acceptable angular range, is contained by total internal reflection as said light travels along from the proximate end to the distal end of the light conduit.

5. The pole light of claim 4 wherein said wall member is substantially circular in cross-section and said smooth surface is disposed on the inner side of said wall member and said prisms run parallel to the axis of said wall member.

6. A pole light for delivering light in a desired pattern to a surface proximate to the pole light, said pole light comprising:

(a) a light conduit having a proximate end and a distal end;

(b) the distal end of said light conduit serving as an area source of quasi-collimated light;

(c) a light distributing member that includes

     1) one or more auxiliary light conduits,

     2) one or more reflective elements to direct the area source of light into said one or more auxiliary light conduits; and

     3) one or more reflective elements having optical power positioned adjacent to each of one or more light exit ports provided in said auxiliary light conduit;

wherein the light reflected from said light distributing member illuminates a surface proximate to said pole light in a precise and predetermined pattern.