Kinetically multicolored light source

• US 5,844,377 A
• Filed: 03/18/1997
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matthew E. Anderson, Thomas A. Hughes
• Original Assignee: Matthew E. Anderson, Thomas A. Hughes
• Inventors: Hughes, Thomas A., Anderson, Matthew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US08/820,517
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82, 315/167, 315/169.1, 315/169.3, 315/251, 315/271, 331/47, 331/57, 331/74, 331/75, 331/DIG. 3, 331/108 D, 331/111, 331/177 R
• US Class Current: 315/251
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0604 based on the use of colours
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/20 Arrangement of reflectors , e.g. on the wheel spokes pedals incorporating reflectors B62M3/12 ; Lighting devices mounted on wheel spokes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/305 Frequency-control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/327 Burst dimming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 331/03 Logic gate active element oscillator

Abstract

A kinetically multicolored light source is described, comprising: a light source capable of producing a plurality of primary colors; oscillatory means for driving said light source; and means for moving said light source. The oscillatory driving means may drive the light source so that one or more of the primary colors is alternately turned on and off at a frequency above the critical fusion frequency of an observer, whereby each of the colors appears to emanate simultaneously and continuously thereby appearing to the observer as a single secondary color when the light source moves slowly with respect to the observer.

The light source may move relative to the observer sufficiently rapidly that each of the oscillating primary colors if viewed alone would appear to the observer to emanate from bright segments of a curvilinear path with intervening dark segments. When viewed together the path segments for each of the primary colors may spatially overlap to varying degrees depending on the relative frequency, amplitude, phase, and duty cycle at which each of the primary colors is produced. The observer may therefore observe a myriad of color alternation pattern along the curvilinear path, which may comprise one or more of: dark segments, bright primary color segments, and bright secondary color segments. Thus, by moving the light source sufficiently rapidly relative to the observer, visually striking, intriguing, and/or pleasing multicolored illuminated displays may be produced by a light source which appears monocolored when moving relatively slowly relative to the observer.

Claims

1. A kinetically multicolored light source, comprising:

a light source emitting a plurality of primary colors;

oscillatory means for driving said light source having a frequency, an amplitude, a duty cycle, and a phase corresponding to each of said primary colors; and

means for moving said light source relative to a field of view of an observer,

wherein

the frequently corresponding to at least one of said primary colors is above a critical fusion frequency for the observer, whereby each of said primary colors appears to the observer to emanate from said light source simultaneously and continuously when said light source moves slowly relative to the field of view of the observer and thereby appears to the observer as one total secondary color;

said moving means moves said light source sufficiently rapidly relative to the field of view of the observer so that said at least one of said primary colors if observed alone would appear to the observer to emanate from a plurality of bright segments of a curvilinear path with intervening dark segments when driven by said oscillatory driving means;

spatial overlap of dark segments corresponding to each of no said primary colors produces a segment of the curvilinear path which appears dark to the observer;

spatial overlap of a bright segment corresponding to only one of said primary colors and dark segments corresponding to the others of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as said only one of said primary colors;

spatial overlap of bright segments corresponding to at least two of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as a partial secondary color; and

spatial overlap of bright segments corresponding to each of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as the total secondary color.

2. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 1, wherein said light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes, each of said primary colors being emitted by at least one of said light-emitting diodes.

3. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 2, wherein each of said light-emitting diodes has a first lead and a second lead, each of said first leads of each of said light-emitting diodes being connected to a common light source lead and each of said second leads of each of said light emitting diodes being separately connected to a corresponding independent light source lead, each of said common light source lead and said independent light source leads being electrically connected to said driving means thereby allowing independent control of each of said light-emitting diodes by said driving means.

4. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 3, wherein said light source comprises a three-lead bicolor LED emitting two primary colors and comprising two light-emitting diodes.

5. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 2, wherein said light source comprises a two-lead bicolor LED comprising a first light-emitting diode and a second light-emitting diode being connected in parallel so that a forward bias applied to said first light-emitting diode concomitantly produces a reverse bias on said second light-emitting diode, whereby a drive voltage applied by said driving means across the connected first and second light-emitting diodes causes only one of the first and second light-emitting diodes to emit light, while reversal of the polarity of the drive voltage causes the other of the first and second light-emitting diodes to emit light.

6. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 1, wherein said moving means moves said light source in a substantially circular path.

7. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 6, wherein said moving means comprises a wheel onto which said light source is secured.

8. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 7, wherein said wheel is a bicycle wheel.

9. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 6, wherein said moving means comprises a tether having a first end and a second end, said light source being secured to said first end, said second end being held by a user of said light source while the user swings said light source around a substantially circular path at said first end of said tether.

10. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 1, wherein said moving means moves said light source along a substantially linear path.

11. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 1, wherein said moving means moves said light source along an irregular curvilinear path.

12. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 1, wherein said driving means drives each of said primary colors at the same frequency.

13. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 12, wherein the phase and duty cycle for each of said primary colors are chosen so that the curvilinear path comprises bright segments of each of said primary colors.

14. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 13, wherein said light source produces two primary colors and the relative phase of said two primary colors is 180°

.

15. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 14, wherein each of said two primary colors has a duty cycle of 50%, whereby the curvilinear path comprises alternating bright segments of each of said two primary colors.

16. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 12, wherein the phases and duty cycles for each of said primary colors are variable, whereby the curvilinear path at various times and positions may comprise dark segments, bright segments of said primary colors, and bright segments of said secondary colors.

17. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 4, wherein:

said moving means comprises a bicycle wheel onto which said light source is secured;

the relative phase of the two primary colors is 180°

; and

the duty cycle of each of said two primary colors is variable, whereby the curvilinear path may comprise at various times and positions dark segments, bright segments of each of said two primary colors, and bright segments of said total secondary color.

18. A kinetically multicolored light source as recited in claim 4, wherein:

said moving means comprises a tether having a first end and a second end, said light source being secured to said first end, said second end being held by a user of said light source while the user swings said light source around a substantially circular path at said first end of said tether;

the relative phase of the two primary colors is 180°

; and

the duty cycle of each of said two primary colors is variable, whereby the curvilinear path may comprise at various times and positions dark segments, bright segments of each of said two primary colors, and bright segments of said total secondary color.

19. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display, comprising:

driving a light source emitting a plurality of primary colors with an oscillatory driver having a frequency, an amplitude, a duty cycle, and a phase corresponding to each of said primary colors; and

moving said light source relative to a field of view of an observer,

wherein

the frequency corresponding to at least one of said primary colors is above a critical fusion frequency for the observer, whereby each of said primary colors appears to the observer to emanate from said light source simultaneously and continuously when said light source moves slowly relative to a field of view of the observer thereby appearing to the observer as one total secondary color;

said light source is moved sufficiently rapidly relative to the field of view of the observer so that said at least one of said primary colors if observed alone would appear to the observer to emanate from a plurality of bright segments of a curvilinear path with intervening dark segments when driven by said oscillatory driving means;

spatial overlap of dark segments corresponding to each of said primary colors produces a segment of the curvilinear path which appears dark to the observer;

spatial overlap of a bright segment corresponding to only one of said primary colors and dark segments corresponding to the others of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as said only one of said primary colors;

spatial overlap of bright segments corresponding to at least two of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as a partial secondary color; and

spatial overlap of bright segments corresponding to each of said primary colors produces a bright segment of the curvilinear path which appears to the observer as the total secondary color.

20. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 19, wherein said light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes, each of said primary colors being emitted by at least one of said light-emitting diodes.

21. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 20, wherein each of said light-emitting diodes has a first lead and a second lead, each of said first leads of each of said light-emitting diodes being connected to a common light source lead and each of said second leads of each of said light emitting diodes being separately connected to a corresponding independent light source lead, each of said common light source lead and said independent light source leads being electrically connected to said driving means thereby allowing independent control of each of said light-emitting diodes by said driving means.

22. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 21, wherein said light source comprises a three-lead bicolor LED emitting two primary colors and comprising two light-emitting diodes.

23. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 20, wherein said light source comprises a two-lead bicolor LED comprising a first light-emitting diode and a second light-emitting diode being connected in parallel so that a forward bias applied to said first light-emitting diode concomitantly produces a reverse bias on said second light-emitting diode, whereby a drive voltage applied by said driving means across the connected first and second light-emitting diodes causes only one of the first and second light-emitting diodes to emit light, while reversal of the polarity of the drive voltage causes the other of the first and second light-emitting diodes to emit light.

24. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 19, wherein said light source moves in a substantially circular path.

25. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 24, wherein motion of said light source in the substantially circular path arises from rotation of a wheel with said light source secured thereto.

26. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 25, wherein said wheel is a bicycle wheel.

27. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 24, wherein motion of said light source in the substantially circular path arises from said light source being secured to a first end of a tether and a second end of said tether being held by a user of said light source while the user swings said light source around a substantially circular path at said first end of said tether.

28. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 19, wherein said light source moves along a substantially linear path.

29. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 19, wherein said light source moves along an irregular curvilinear path.

30. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 19, wherein said each of said primary colors is driven at the same frequency.

31. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 30, wherein the phase and duty cycle for each of said primary colors are chosen so that the curvilinear path comprises bright segments of each of said primary colors.

32. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 31, wherein said light source produces two primary colors and the relative phase of said two primary colors is 180°

.

33. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 32, wherein each of said two primary colors has a duty cycle of 50%, whereby the curvilinear path comprises alternating bright segments of each of said two primary colors.

34. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 30, wherein the phases and duty cycles for each of said primary colors are variable, whereby the curvilinear path at various times and positions may comprise dark segments, bright segments of said primary colors, and bright segments of said secondary colors.

35. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 22, wherein:

said light source is secured to a bicycle wheel and is moved in a circular path by rotation thereof;

the relative phase of the two primary colors is 180°

; and

the duty cycle of each of said two primary colors is variable, whereby the curvilinear path may comprise at various times and positions dark segments, bright segments of each of said two primary colors, and bright segments of said total secondary color.

36. A method for producing a kinetically multicolored light display as recited in claim 22, wherein:

motion of said light source in a substantially circular path arises from said light source being secured to a first end of a tether and a second end of said tether being held by a user of said light source while the user swings said light source around a substantially circular path at said first end of said tether;

the relative phase of the two primary colors is 180°

; and

the duty cycle of each of said two primary colors is variable, whereby the curvilinear path may comprise at various times and positions dark segments, bright segments of each of said two primary colors, and bright segments of said total secondary color.