Bicycle brake light with graduated deceleration dependent lighting

• US 9,340,246 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Desmond Woram
• Original Assignee: John Desmond Woram
• Inventors: Woram, John Desmond
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US14/267,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20150314823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 340/432, 340/463, 340/466, 340/467, 340/468, 340/469
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/01 Electric circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/045 indicating braking

Abstract

A bicycle brake light system with a graduated light display that is activated as a direct result of and in correlation with the degree of bicycle deceleration. The brake lamp lights are illuminated in a graduated sequence resulting from a predetermined range from slight deceleration to hard breaking that is conveyed visually through the number and color of illuminated lamps. The brake lamp assemblage interface calculates deceleration algorithmically through a magnet and sensor receptor and receiving programmable logic controller that receives, computes, and conveys a bicycle wheel'"'"'s decreasing revolutions per unit of time optically through illuminating lights to fellow vehicle operators and pedestrians.

Claims

1. A bicycle brake light system comprising:

a light assembly unit having a rearward facing multi-bulb display;

an adjustable swivel arm attached to said light assembly oriented inward toward a rear wheel spoke;

a pickup sensor housed within the adjustable swivel arm at a point most distal to said light assembly unit;

an open and closable hatch on top of said light assembly unit for insertion of a battery power source;

a switch installed on a most outward portion of the light assembly for activation of an on/off switch;

a magnet which is attached to a rear wheel spoke m such a manner as to allow for optimal detection by the pickup sensor;

a point of attachment to a bicycle frame of a bicycle via “

C”

clamps and positioned as to allow for sensor reception of said magnet; and

a PLC interface between the pickup sensor and a multi-bulb display that receives wheel revolutions, records time, and uses those as inputs to calculate discrete rates of deceleration and displays this information through activation of a plurality of rear-ward facing bulbs in a graduated manner based on differing degrees of deceleration based on logic pre-programmed into the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

2. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 wherein the multi-bulb display is arranged vertically.

3. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 wherein the multi-bulb display is arranged horizontally.

4. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 wherein the bulbs of the multi-bulb display are round.

5. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 wherein the bulbs of the multi-bulb display are one of a number of geometric shapes, including, but not limited to, oval, square, triangular, hexagonal, diamond, or rectangular.

6. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 where the interface receives, interprets and displays rates of deceleration based on a preset algorithm where slight deceleration may activate one rearward facing bulb, more intense deceleration may activate two rearward facing bulbs, moderate deceleration may activate three rearward facing bulbs, more severe deceleration may illuminate four rearward facing bulbs, and very rapid deceleration or stopping may illuminate all bulbs.

7. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 where the rearward facing multi-bulb system is comprised of:

two orange bulbs stacked one on top of another; and

three red bulbs stacked one on top of another with all red bulbs superior to inferior orange bulbs in order from bottom to top;

orange, orange, red, red, and red.

8. The bicycle brake light system of claim 1 wherein the interface may activate a graduated display in an increasing order as follows:

slight deceleration is displayed by illumination of one orange bulb, more intense deceleration may activate two orange bulbs, moderate deceleration may activate two orange bulbs and one red bulb, more severe deceleration may activate two orange bulbs and two red bulbs, and very rapid deceleration or stopping may activate all bulbs including two orange bulbs and three red bulbs.

9. An interface between a sensor and illuminable lights which forms a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) unit which utilizes number of revolutions per unit of time (measured in seconds or tenths of seconds) on a wheel of any circumference to determine rates of negative acceleration where a positive number indicates acceleration and a negative number indicates deceleration or slowing and said rates of negative acceleration are used to determine an appropriate number of exterior illuminable lamps to activate based on a following acceleration and deceleration calculation formula:

Rate of acceleration=RPS_current(T)−

RPS_prevous(T-1)

Where RPS is number of wheel revolutions per second, and

T=current time, and

T−

1=the current time minus 1 second (prior reading).

10. The PLC interface of claim 9 which utilizes a set algorithm to differentiate between positive acceleration, zero acceleration, and degrees of negative acceleration (deceleration), and displays that information in a visually graduated, multi-bulb display based on the following algorithm:

11. The PLC interface of claim 9 which receives positive acceleration and zero acceleration and interprets each as requiring no visual display.

12. The PLC interface of claim 9 wherein illuminable lamps are turned off based on positive acceleration, or negative acceleration followed by zero acceleration for greater than or equal to 5 seconds.

13. The PLC interface of claim 9 wherein said calculation of deceleration and acceleration is a function of time and rate of change and is not affected by wheel circumference and/or wheel diameter.