Light bar

• US 8,210,725 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STAR SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES LLC
• Original Assignee: Star Headlight & Lantern Company Incorporated (Grote Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Datz, R. Michael, Gross, Robert J., Neufeglise, Steven W., Vukosic, Stephen T., Richardson, J. Douglas, Mastin, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US12/378,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20090207612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 362/217.01, 362/217.14, 362/217.16, 362/219, 362223-225, 362/227, 362/238, 362/240, 362/249.01, 362/249.14, 362/261, 362/346, 362/355, 362/455, 362/474, 362/487, 362/493, 362/477, 362/479, 362/509, 362/517, 362/540, 362542-547, 362/35, 362/368, 362/390, 362/45, 362/5, 362/800
• US Class Current: 362/493
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2611 Indicating devices mounted on the roof of the vehicle

Abstract

A light bar has several modular light source heads which may contain different types of light sources as well as different technologies mounted in cages by shock absorbing grommets. The cages are mounted on a bottom member so that the heads can be arranged along opposite sides and the ends of the bottom members. The heads are captured, and assembled with the bottom member, by a top member which also captures translucent or transparent members or lenses along the sides of the light bar and, transparent or translucent end caps which may also provide lenses for the light source heads at the ends of the bar. The end caps are removably connected to the top and bottom members at the ends of the bar by screws extending through the end caps. The light source modules have the same wiring connected thereto by connectors from a connector board to connectors along the back ends of the light source heads. The top member is attached to posts extending from the bottom member by screws so as to enable removal of the top member to expose the light source modules. The modules at the end of the light bar are exposed upon removal of the end caps thereby permitting the light source modules to be installed, removed for servicing, and the interchange of different modular heads to obtain a desired compliment of light sources, which may be of different types and technologies, or may not be installed if desired to meet customers'"'"' orders.

Claims

1. A light bar comprising top and bottom members, a plurality of independent and interchangeable modular light source heads interchangeably disposed in cages disposed between said top and bottom members, and further comprising a plurality of spaced studs projecting from each of said modular light source heads into respective receptacles on said cages, and vibration isolating members on said studs received in said receptacles between said studs and spacing said studs and said receptacles from each other in vibration isolating relationship.

2. A light bar comprising top and bottom members, a plurality of independent and interchangeable modular light source heads interchangeably disposed in cages disposed between said top and bottom members, wherein said cages each have a plurality of grooves providing receptacles in which projections from said modular light source heads are removably received in vibration isolating relationship, said top member removably engaging said modular light source heads and holding said modules in said receptacles.

3. The light bar according to claim 2 further comprising vibration isolating members on said modular light source heads engagable with said top member when said top member engages said modules via said vibration isolating members and captures said modular light source heads in said receptacles in said cages.

4. The light bar according to claim 3 wherein the vibration isolating relationship between said projections and said receptacles is provided by grommets of elastic material.

5. The light bar according to claim 4 wherein said grommets have peripheral grooves and said receptacles are semi-circular slots having peripheral tongues which provide with said grooves tongue and groove connections between said projections and said receptacles which assemble said cages and said modular light source heads in vibration isolating relationship.

6. The light bar according to claim 4 wherein said modular light source heads have housings provided by shells, said projections being provided by semi-circular stubs extending outwardly from edges of said shells which edges and stubs engage each other when said shells are assembled in closed relationship to provide said housings with circular stubs provided by said semi-circular stubs providing said projections, said semi-circular stubs have peripheral grooves which are aligned when said circular stubs are provided when said shells are closed to define circular peripheral grooves, and said grommets being disposed around said circular stubs in said circular grooves to elastically attach said shells to provide said housings.