METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR CONSTANT LED NIGHT BRIGHTNESS BASED ON DAYTIME SOLAR CHARGING

• US 20110252678A1
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BTU Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BTU Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Joel, Jones, Dale
• Application Number:
  US13/084,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252678A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 40/572
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/16 Signs formed of or incorporating reflecting elements or surfaces, e.g. warning signs having triangular or other geometrical shape
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/18 Edge-illuminated signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2007/1878 Traffic orientation, street markers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/145 curved reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/222 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/007 Displays with power supply provided by solar cells or photocells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/00 Supporting structures for PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A street sign method, system and apparatus includes at least one translucent sign face, a solar photovoltaic panel system for generating electrical energy from sunlight, a rechargeable battery system for storing the electrical energy during the day, at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED) powered by the electrical energy stored in the rechargeable battery system, and a control circuit powered by the rechargeable battery system and configured to operate the at least one LED to illuminate the at least one sign face. The control circuit is configured to calculate an amount of electrical power that can be supplied from the rechargeable battery system to the at least one LED so that said the at least one LED operates at a relatively constant level of LED light output brightness during substantially the entire night time hours based on solar energy supplied to the rechargeable battery system during the previous daytime hours. The street name sign is mountable to a post or pole.

Claims

1. A street sign comprising:

at least one translucent sign face;

a solar photovoltaic panel system;

a rechargeable battery system;

at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED);

a control circuit powered by the rechargeable battery system and configured to operate the at least one LED to illuminate the at least one sign face;

wherein the rechargeable battery system receives electrical power from the solar photovoltaic panel system during daytime; and

wherein the control circuit is configured to monitor the total amount of solar energy supplied to the rechargeable battery system during daytime and configured to calculate an amount of electrical power to be supplied from the rechargeable battery system to the at least one LED so that the at least one LED operates at a relatively constant level of LED light output brightness during substantially all the entire night time hours.

2. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the at least one translucent sign face comprises a street name or informational lettering which is illuminated from an inside surface of the translucent sign face by the at least one LED.

3. The street sign of claim 1, further comprising at least one curved reflecting surface, wherein the light output from the at least one LED is directed towards the at least one curved reflecting surface, wherein the at least one curved reflective surface reflects and distributes the light from the at least one LED substantially uniformly in a downward direction across the inside surface of the at least one translucent sign face, thereby illuminating the sign face from the inside to thereby become more visible as viewed from the outside of the sign face by motor vehicles approaching from nearby roadways or streets.

4. The street sign of claim 3, wherein the at least one curved reflecting surface has a curvature that provides relatively uniform LED reflected light for illumination of the inside surfaces of one or more translucent sign faces, such that brightest areas of the illuminated sign face are not more than about three times brighter than dimmest areas of the illuminated sign face as viewed from outside of the sign face by motor vehicles approaching from nearby roadways or streets.

5. The street sign of claim 4, wherein the at least one curved reflective surface is comprised of Alanod Miro 7 aluminum sheet material or similar reflective aluminum sheet material.

6. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the at least one translucent sign face is angled away from a true vertical direction between about 5 degrees to 15 degrees such that the at least one sign face is aimed substantially directly towards oncoming motor vehicle traffic.

7. The street sign of claim 1, further comprising a top extrusion piece, a bottom extrusion piece and two end caps attached to the top and bottom extrusion pieces, wherein the solar photovoltaic panel system comprises at least one solar panel mounted on the top extrusion piece and aimed upwards.

8. The street sign of claim 7, further comprising a transparent cover configured to protect the at least one solar panel.

9. The street sign of claim 8, comprising two translucent sign faces mounted between the top and bottom extrusion pieces, and wherein the sign faces are enclosed and mechanically strengthened when the end caps are attached to the top and bottom extrusion pieces using suitable mechanical screws or an equivalent attachment method.

10. The street sign of claim 8, wherein the rechargeable battery system is located underneath the at least one solar panel.

11. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an energy pulses generator circuit configured to provide pulses for detecting a rate of energy discharge transfers between the at least one solar panel and the rechargeable battery system during daytime and between the rechargeable battery system and the at least one LED during night time.

12. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a digital energy storage circuit configured to record and totalize a quantity of energy transfers between the rechargeable battery system and the solar panel during daytime and between the rechargeable battery system and the at least one LED during night time.

13. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an energy digital to analog converter circuit configured to convert a digital signal from an energy storage circuit to an analog signal.

14. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an energy scalar circuit is configured to determine the hour duration of an upcoming night time sequence and configured to scale a quantity of energy stored in the rechargeable battery system during the previous daytime to enable the at least one LED to operate all during the night time hours at a relatively constant level of LED light output brightness.

15. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an LED driver circuit configured to provide stored electrical energy from the rechargeable battery system to the at least one LED, configured to prevent overdriving of the at least one LED, and also configured to decrease the LED brightness when the a voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery system drops below a predetermined voltage level.

16. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises an under voltage protection circuit configured to shut off operation of the at least one LED when a voltage from the rechargeable battery system drops below a predetermined voltage level.

17. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a day hour counter circuit is configured to use pulses provided by an energy pulses generator circuit to count a total duration of daytime hours and calculate an output signal that is provided to an energy scalar circuit so that the duration in hours for an upcoming night time can be calculated.

18. The street sign of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a day-night auto switch circuit configured to determine a transition event between day and night at dusk or night and day at dawn using an output provided from the at least one solar panel.

19. A street sign system comprising:

a post or pole;

at least one street name sign mounted to the post or pole, the street name sign comprising;

at least one translucent sign face;

a solar photovoltaic panel system;

a rechargeable battery system;

at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED);

a control circuit powered by the rechargeable battery system and configured to operate the at as one LED to illuminate the at least one sign face;

wherein the rechargeable battery system receives electrical power from the solar photovoltaic panel system during daytime; and

wherein the control circuit is configured to monitor the total amount of solar energy supplied to the rechargeable battery system during daytime and configured to calculate an amount of electrical power that can be supplied from the rechargeable battery system to the at least one LED so that the at least one LED operates at a relatively constant level of LED light output brightness during substantially all the entire night time hours.

20. The street sign system of claim 19, further comprising:

a central rod having a top portion configured to receive a fastener;

a spacer tube surrounding the central rod;

the street name sign comprising a top extrusion piece and a bottom extrusion piece;

wherein the street name sign is mounted to a top portion of the post or pole using the central rod with the fastener such that when the fastener is tightened, the top and bottom extrusion pieces are clamped against the spacer tube, and wherein the spacer tube maintains a predetermined distance between the top and bottom extrusion pieces.

21. The street sign system of claim 20, further comprising a top cap secured to the post or pole with fasteners and covering the top of the post or pole, and the central rod comprising at least one internal disk configured to slide into an inside diameter of the post or pole.

22. The street sign system of claim 21, further comprising at least an additional spacer tube configured to provide additional space between the at least one internal disk and an inside of the top cap.

23. The street sign system of claim 19, further comprising at least another street name sign mounted to the post or pole and a connection piece configured to mount these two street name signs at a pre-determined angle relative to each other.

24. A method of illuminating a street sign comprising:

generating electrical energy during a day with a solar photovoltaic panel system receiving sunlight;

storing the generated electrical energy in a rechargeable battery system;

powering at least one light emitting diode (LED) during substantially all the night time hours that follow the day time charging hours by utilizing the electrical energy stored in the rechargeable battery system; and

wherein the at least one LED illuminates at least one translucent sign face.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

providing a relatively constant level of light output with the at least one LED during all the night time hours;

directing the light output from the at least one LED towards at least one curved reflective surface; and

wherein the light output is reflected downwards across an inside surface of the at least one translucent sign face such that a brightest area of sign face illumination does not exceed about three times the brightness of a dimmest area of sign face illumination as viewed from outside the at least one sign face by motor vehicles approaching from nearby roadways or streets.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

performing a first calculation of a total amount of solar charging electrical energy supplied to the rechargeable battery system during the entire previous daytime hours;

performing a second calculation to determine an optimum or near optimum level of electrical current to be provided to the at least one LED from the rechargeable battery system during substantially all the night time hours based on the first calculation; and

providing a relatively constant level of sign face illumination during all the night time hours based on the second calculation.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising powering a plurality of LEDs, wherein the LEDs comprise white colored LEDs with a size of about 5 mm diameter, having a rating of at least about 1500 millicandella when operated at 20 mA current, and having a surface brightness of about 100 Lux.