Overlapping strobe flash pattern
First Claim
1. An emergency signalling system comprising:
- two or more light sources emitting light;
a modulator coupled to the light sources for modulating the light from each of the sources between relatively low and high states of brightness to create a visual pattern from each of the light sources of cyclically flashing light, a controller connected to the modulator for controlling transitions of the light from one of the states to the other, and the controller including means for synchronizing the flashing lights from the two or more light sources such that the transition of brightness from the high to the low state in one of the light sources appears to visually overlap the transition of brightness from the low to the high state in another of the two or more light sources.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for generating and broadcasting emergency lighting signals wherein the lights are synchronized such that when a first light is energized with a packet of short, rapid bursts, a second light begins to flash before the first light is de-energized. Control circuitry connected to the power source selectively controls the packetized energization of the light sources and includes timing circuitry for periodically energizing a first of the light sources for a first duration and for energizing a second of the light source for a second duration. The second duration overlaps, but is not coincident with the first duration in a repeating pattern such that the first and second sources are periodically energized simultaneously before the first source is de-energized.
109 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. An emergency signalling system comprising:
- two or more light sources emitting light;
a modulator coupled to the light sources for modulating the light from each of the sources between relatively low and high states of brightness to create a visual pattern from each of the light sources of cyclically flashing light, a controller connected to the modulator for controlling transitions of the light from one of the states to the other, and the controller including means for synchronizing the flashing lights from the two or more light sources such that the transition of brightness from the high to the low state in one of the light sources appears to visually overlap the transition of brightness from the low to the high state in another of the two or more light sources. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- two or more light sources emitting light;
-
9. An emergency signalling system comprising:
- two or more light sources for radiating light in response to application of power from a source of power, a switching network between the two or more light sources and the source of power for selectively energizing the light sources to generate flashes of light from each of the sources, and a controller for controlling the selective energization of the two light sources such that an ending of a flash from a first of the light sources appears to visually overlap the beginning of a flash from a second of the light sources.
- View Dependent Claims (10)
-
11. A method of generating emergency signals, comprising the steps of:
-
broadcasting light from at least first and second light sources; modulating each of the first and second light sources to broadcast light therefrom in a periodic visual pattern that transitions between at least relatively low and high states of brightness; and synchronizing the periodic visual pattern of the first and second light sources so that each transition of brightness of the light sources occurs between two sequential transitions of the light from the other light source. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method of increasing the effectiveness of an emergency lighting system, comprising the steps of energizing and de-energizing first and second lamps to broadcast light therefrom in a fashion of alternating flashes, and synchronizing the alternating flashes of the first and second lamps to visually overlap such that the second lamp is energized before the first lamp is de-energized and the first and second light sources are de-energized at different times.
Specification