Light bar and method for making
First Claim
1. An emergency light for a vehicle comprising:
- a housing having lenses for transmitting light from an interior of the housing;
one or more circuit boards within the housing, each circuit board having a planar surface extending toward two or more of the lenses for supporting two or more light beam assemblies such that each assembly is aligned with one of the lenses;
each of the circuit boards having;
one or more connectors mounted for electrically communicating with the two or more light beam assemblies by way of electrical connections fabricated on the circuit board; and
a first set of patterns of alignment keys for registering the two or more light beam assemblies to the circuit board so that the light beam assemblies are fastened to the circuit board at positions predetermined by the patterns; and
a second set of patterns of alignment keys in the housing for positioning each of the circuit boards within the housing at a predetermined location that automatically aligns the two or more light beam assemblies fastened to each of the circuit boards with the lenses of the housing when the circuit boards are fastened to the housing, thereby enabling each of the lenses to cooperate with a corresponding aligned light beam assembly to broadcast a light beam alerting observers of the vehicle to an emergency condition.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A light bar is described that is of a modular construction based on one or more large circuit boards that are populated with light beam assemblies and then fastened to an interior space of the light bar housing. Keys that automatically align the light beam assemblies on each of the boards precisely control placement of the assemblies on the board. In turn, each of the boards is keyed to the interior of the light bar housing so that when the board is fastened to the housing the light beam assemblies are automatically registered into alignment with the lenses in the housing so that the beams from the assemblies are properly oriented. The light bar is inexpensive to fabricate and can be assembled quickly and reliably, yet it provides for a high degree of customization, which is a requirement in the emergency vehicle lighting industry.
190 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An emergency light for a vehicle comprising:
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a housing having lenses for transmitting light from an interior of the housing; one or more circuit boards within the housing, each circuit board having a planar surface extending toward two or more of the lenses for supporting two or more light beam assemblies such that each assembly is aligned with one of the lenses; each of the circuit boards having; one or more connectors mounted for electrically communicating with the two or more light beam assemblies by way of electrical connections fabricated on the circuit board; and a first set of patterns of alignment keys for registering the two or more light beam assemblies to the circuit board so that the light beam assemblies are fastened to the circuit board at positions predetermined by the patterns; and a second set of patterns of alignment keys in the housing for positioning each of the circuit boards within the housing at a predetermined location that automatically aligns the two or more light beam assemblies fastened to each of the circuit boards with the lenses of the housing when the circuit boards are fastened to the housing, thereby enabling each of the lenses to cooperate with a corresponding aligned light beam assembly to broadcast a light beam alerting observers of the vehicle to an emergency condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification