Signaling assembly

• US 20030193814A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KW Muth Company
• Original Assignee: KW Muth Company
• Inventors: Bukosky, Allen A., Mathieu, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,918,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators

Abstract

A signaling assembly is described and which includes a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein each of the surfaces simultaneously reflects visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation and passes electromagnetic radiation; and an emitter for emitting visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation is provided, and wherein the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation may be simultaneously viewed from locations forward of the opposite first and second surfaces.

Claims

1. A signaling assembly, comprising:

a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein each of the surfaces simultaneously reflects visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation, and passes electromagnetic radiation; and

an emitter for emitting visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation which is simultaneously reflected in part, and passed in part, by the reflective substrate, and wherein the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation may be simultaneously viewed from locations forward of the opposite first and second surfaces.

2. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising:

a housing defining an internal cavity, and further having an aperture, and wherein the emitter is received in the cavity, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the aperture, and the second surface of the reflective substrate faces in the direction of the cavity.

3. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the reflective substrate has a primary region which reflects on average at least about 35% of all visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation, and a secondary region which passes at least about 5% of the same visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation.

4. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the emitter is obliquely disposed relative to the second surface, and which further emits electromagnetic radiation which has a first portion which is passed by the reflective substrate and which can be seen from the location forward of the first surface, and a second portion which is reflected from the reflective substrate and which can be seen from the location forward of the second surface.

5. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 4, and wherein the first portion is about 30% to about 95% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and the second portion is about 5% to about 70% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

6. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising:

a housing having a sidewall and which defines a cavity, and wherein the sidewall further defines first and second apertures, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the first aperture; and

a translucent substrate positioned in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture.

7. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 6, and wherein the emitter is positioned in the cavity and obliquely disposed relative to the second surface of the reflective substrate, and wherein the emitted electromagnetic radiation has a first portion which is passed by the reflective substrate and which can be viewed from the position forward of the first surface, and a second portion which is reflected from the reflective substrate and which passes through the translucent substrate and is viewable from the position forward of the second surface.

8. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation is emitted at an oblique orientation relative to the reflective substrate.

9. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the reflective substrate defines a line of reference, and wherein the location forward of the first surface where the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation may be viewed is less than about 180 degrees relative to the line of reference;

and wherein the location forward of the second surface where the emitted electromagnetic radiation may be viewed is greater than about 180 degrees relative to the line of reference.

10. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the reflective substrate defines a line of reference, and wherein the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation has a first portion comprising less than about 95% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and which is passed by the reflective substrate and which may be viewed from the position forward of the first surface and within less than about 180 degrees relative to the line of reference, and wherein the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation has a second portion comprising less than about 70% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation and which may be viewed from the position forward of the second surface and within greater than about 120 degrees relative to the line of reference.

11. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, and wherein about 30% to about 95% of the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation is passed by the reflective substrate, and about 5% to about 70% of the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation is reflected by the reflective substrate.

12. A signaling assembly, comprising:

a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and which each reflect and pass visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation; and

an electromagnetic radiation emitter positioned adjacent to the second surface, and which emits visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation having a first portion which is passed by the reflective substrate, and which may be visibly discerned when viewed from locations substantially forward of the first surface, and a second portion which is reflected from the reflective substrate and which may be visibly discerned when viewed from locations substantially forward of the second surface.

13. A signaling assembly, comprising:

a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein each of the first and second surfaces reflect and pass electromagnetic radiation, and wherein a portion of the reflective substrate passes less than about 4% of ambient visible electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the average reflectance of the first surface is greater than about 35%, and wherein the reflective substrate generally defines a major line of reference; and

a light emitting device positioned adjacent to the second surface and which, when energized, emits visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation which is directed toward the second surface, and wherein the visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation includes a first portion which passes through the reflective substrate, and which may be substantially visibly discerned from locations within about 180 degrees relative to the line of reference, and forward of the first surface, and wherein the visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation emitted by the light emitting device has a second portion which is reflected from the reflective substrate, and which may be visibly discerned from locations greater than 180 degrees relative to the line of reference and from a position forward of the second surface.

14. A signaling assembly comprising:

a reflective substrate which reflects and passes electromagnetic radiation; and

an electromagnetic radiation emitter which, when energized, emits electromagnetic radiation which is directed toward the reflective substrate, and wherein a first portion of the electromagnetic radiation is passed by the reflective substrate and may be viewed by an observer from a first location relative to the reflective substrate, and a second portion of the electromagnetic radiation is reflected by the reflective substrate and may be viewed by an observer from a second location.

15. A signaling assembly comprising:

a housing having opposite first and second sides and which has a cavity, and which further defines first and second apertures;

a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and which is disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the first aperture; and

an emitter located within the cavity, and which, when energized, emits visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation which is bifurcated to provide visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation which may be viewed from the opposite sides of the housing.

16. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 15, and wherein the emitted visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation has a first portion which is passed by the reflective substrate and which can be viewed from the first side of the housing;

and a second portion which is reflected from the reflective substrate and which passes through the second aperture such that it may be viewed from the second side of the housing.

17. A signaling assembly for use on an overland vehicle which has a forward and rearward end, comprising:

a housing mounted on the overland vehicle, and which has an opaque wall which defines in internal cavity and which further defines a first and second aperture;

a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, each of which reflects and passes visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the first aperture, and wherein the first surface thereof faces away from the cavity, and can be viewed from locations laterally and rearwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle, and the second surface thereof faces inwardly toward the cavity;

a translucent substrate positioned in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture, and wherein the translucent substrate can be viewed from locations laterally and forwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle; and

an electromagnetic radiation emitter positioned in the cavity and which, when energized, emits electromagnetic radiation which has a first portion which is passed by the first and second surfaces of the reflective substrate, and which forms a first visibly discernable signal which can be viewed from locations laterally and rearwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle, and a second portion, which is reflected by the first and second surfaces, and which passes through the translucent substrate positioned in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture, and which forms a second visibly discernible signal which can be viewed from locations laterally and forwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle.

18. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first and second visibly discernible signals are produced substantially simultaneously.

19. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, and further comprising:

a light conduit positioned within the cavity and which defines a passageway between the second surface of the reflective substrate and the second apertures, and which substantially directs the emitted electromagnetic radiation forming the second signal to the second aperture.

20. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, and wherein the light conduit is resilient, and further has a first end which is mounted adjacent the reflective substrate, and wherein the overland vehicle, during operation generates vibrations which are transmitted to the reflective substrate, and wherein the resilient light conduit operates to dampen the vibrations which are transmitted to the reflective substrate.

21. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the reflective substrate has a primary region which reflects on average at least about 35% of all visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation, and a secondary region which passes at least about 5% of the same visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation.

22. a signaling assembly as claimed in claim 21, and wherein the first portion of the emitted electromagnetic radiation is about 30% to about 95% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation, and the second portion of the emitted electromagnetic radiation is about 5% to about 70% of the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

23. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 21, and wherein a highly reflective coating is applied to one of the first or second surfaces of the reflective substrate, and wherein a portion of the reflective substrate is removed to define the secondary region.

24. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 23, and wherein the secondary region is continuous.

25. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 23, and wherein the secondary region is discontinuous.

26. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, and wherein the translucent substrate passes visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation which originates from locations laterally and forwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle, and wherein this same visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation is passed by the reflective substrate and can be viewed from locations which are rearwardly disposed relative to the overland vehicle.

27. A signaling assembly as claimed in claim 17, and wherein the reflective substrate defines a line of reference, and wherein the first and second signals can be seen from positions which are less than about 300 degrees relative to the line of reference.