Luminescent planar sheet

Abstract

A luminescent planar sheet is constructed to provide illuminated alphanumeric characters particularly suitable for mounting upon the planar surfaces of a vehicle. Preferably the luminescent planar sheet can produce visible light, infrared light, or both. A switching system is connected to the luminescent planar panels for selectively controlling power to produce visible light and/or infrared light. The luminescent planar sheet includes a protective coating which permits the passage of both visible light and infrared light, but substantially blocks most or all ultraviolet light.

Claims

1. A planar light panel comprising: a planar light panel having a bottom surface and a top surface for producing light; and a protective coating covering said planar light panel's top surface, said protective coating blocking at least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers (nm), but allowing at least 80% of visible and infrared light above 450 nanometers.

2. The planar light panel of claim 1 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers.

3. The planar light panel of claim 1 wherein said planar light panel is an electroluminescent panel.

4. The planar light panel of claim 1 wherein said planar light panel is capable of producing infrared light above 760 nanometers while not producing visible light below 760 nanometers so as to be substantially invisible to the human eye with said protective coating allowing at least 80% transmission through of the infrared light produced by said planar light panel.

5. The planar light panel of claim 4 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared 5 light above 500 nanometers.

6. The planar light panel of claim 1 further comprising a controller for selectively controlling said planar light panel to produce visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers, or produce infrared light above 760 nanometers but not producing visible light below 760 nanometers, or produce both visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers and infrared light above 760 nanometers.

7. The planar light panel of claim 6 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers.

8. A planar light panel comprising: an electroluminescent panel having a bottom surface and a top surface for producing light; and a protective coating covering said planar light panel's top surface, said protective coating blocking at least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers (nm), but allowing at least 80% of visible and infrared light above 450 nanometers.

9. The planar light panel of claim 8 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers.

10. The planar light panel of claim 8 wherein said planar light panel is capable of producing infrared light above 760 nanometers while not producing visible light below 760 nanometers so as to be substantially invisible to the human eye with said protective coating allowing at least 80% transmission through of the infrared light produced by said planar light panel.

11. The planar light panel of claim 10 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers.

12. The planar light panel of claim 8 further comprising a controller for selectively controlling said planar light panel to produce visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers, or produce infrared light above 760 nanometers but not producing visible light below 760 nanometers, or produce both visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers and infrared light above 760 nanometers.

13. The planar light panel of claim 12 wherein said protective coating blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 85% of visible and infrared 15 light above 500 nanometers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an emergency response vehicle equipped with illuminated indicia affixed on top of the roof;

(2) FIG. 2 is a top-exploded view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 3 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 4 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of the present invention possessing LED's;

(5) FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 7 is a top elevation view an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of an electroluminescent panel;

(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of four electroluminescent panels for identifying an emergency response vehicle;

(10) FIG. 10 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of four electroluminescent panels for identifying an emergency response vehicle; and

(11) FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of three luminescent panels connected to a controller for activating and controlling the amount of wattage provide to electroluminescent indicia and for activating and controlling the amount of wattage provided to infrared/thermal indicia;

(12) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of three luminescent panels and a radio frequency antennae affixed to a planar plate constructed to be mounted to upon the corrugated roof of a vehicle;

(13) FIG. 13 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of three luminescent panels affixed to a planar plate which in-turn is mounted to upon the corrugated roof of a vehicle, and illustrating a controller for activating and controlling the amount of wattage provide to electroluminescent indicia and for activating and controlling the amount of wattage provided to infrared/thermal indicia;

(14) FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate, vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided to the electroluminescent indicia;

(15) FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate, vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided to the infrared/thermal indicia;

(16) FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate, vehicle, and controller of FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided to the infrared/thermal indicia, and the controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided to the electroluminescent indicia;

(17) FIG. 17 is a simplified electrical diagram illustrating the switching system including adjustable variable resistors to adjust the wattage provided to each infrared/thermal indicia and to each electroluminescent indicia;

(18) FIG. 18 is a top, right, rear perspective view a second embodiment of the vehicular roof plate;

(19) FIG. 19 is a bottom, left, rear perspective view of the second embodiment of the vehicle roof plate;

(20) FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicle roof plate;

(21) FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicle roof plate;

(22) FIG. 22 is a top perspective view illustrating the second embodiment of the vehicular roof plate supporting emergency response vehicle identification character and affixed to the corrugated roof of a vehicle;

(23) FIG. 23 is a top, right, rear perspective view a third embodiment of the vehicular roof plate;

(24) FIG. 24 is a top, left, front perspective view of the third embodiment of the vehicle roof plate;

(25) FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicle roof plate;

(26) FIG. 26 is a bottom plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicle roof plate; and

(27) FIG. 27 is a top perspective view illustrating the third embodiment of the vehicular roof plate supporting emergency response vehicle identification character and affixed to the corrugated roof of a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(28) While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, as shown in the drawings, hereinafter will be described the presently preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

(29) With reference to FIGS. 1-17, the present invention is a vehicular illuminated sign 1. The vehicular illuminated sign comprises two primary components including the vehicle 3 and luminescent planar sheet 7. The terms vehicle and luminescent planar sheet are to be interpreted broadly as to encompass a wide variety of embodiments as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, the vehicle 3 is any wheeled vehicle for travel upon the roads and highway of this country including automobiles, trucks, vans, etc. The present invention is intended primarily for emergency response vehicles. However, the invention may have application for identifying trucking fleets and the like. Each of these vehicles have substantially horizontal planar surfaces 5, such as the hood, cabin top, and trunk illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

(30) The luminescent planar sheet 7 of the present invention is mounted upon one or more of the vehicle's horizontal planar surfaces 5. The luminescent planar sheet 7 is mounted substantially horizontally so as to display indicia 9 upwardly. The indicia 9 is in the form of one or more alpha-numeric characters having a length (commonly referred to as a height) and a width. The alpha-numeric characters are provided to identify a vehicle, and thus are preferably unique to that vehicle. The alpha-numeric characters may have any height or width as necessary so as to identify the vehicle from the air. However, the alpha-numeric characters preferably have a length greater than 1 ft. and a width greater than 1-0.5 ft. Still more preferably, each of these numbers or letters forming the indicia has a length of approximately 2 ft. and a width of 1 ft.

(31) The luminescent planar sheets may be constructed to produce light in various colors, and may switch between different colors. In still an additional embodiment of the present invention, the luminescent planar sheet may be constructed to produce light which is primarily invisible to the human eye such as in the infrared spectrum. The term primarily invisible to the human eye is intended to be interpreted broadly because traditional light sources producing light in the infrared spectrum, including heat producing systems, will often produce a minimal amount of light in the visible spectrum. However, as understood by those skilled in the art, such infrared/thermal light sources are highly visible when wearing night vision goggles or the like.

(32) The luminescent planar sheet is connected to a power system mounted within the vehicle. The power system may be in the form of a battery separate from the vehicle's traditional battery mounted under the hood. However, preferably the illuminated vehicular sign utilizes the power system already provided in a vehicle including the battery and alternator. To control the power to the luminescent planar sheet 7, preferably one or more switches are positioned within the vehicle's cabin so as to control the on or off illumination of the sign. Further, switches may be provided to control the brightness of the illumination and/or color being illuminated. For example, the signage may change colors so as to indicate different events. For example, the luminescent planar sheet may be made to illuminate red in the event of an emergency. Alternatively, the luminescent planar sheet may be made to strobe in the event of an emergency. Switching systems for providing these features can be easily deduced by those skilled in the art and are not described further herein.

(33) As illustrated in FIGS. 2-10, the luminescent planar sheet may be constructed in various manners. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a first embodiment, the luminescent planar sheet comprises a light pipe 17 and an independent light source in the form of florescent bulbs. The light pipe may be made to create opaque alpha-numeric characters with luminescence borders around the alpha-numeric characters. Alternatively, the luminescent planar sheet may be made to create luminescent alpha-numeric characters and an opaque border so as to identify such characters. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the luminescent planar sheet may comprise a plurality of LEDs forming the light source which is again covered by a light pipe 17. Again, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the indicia may be made to illuminate with an opaque border. Alternatively, the illuminated planar sheet may be made to have opaque indicia with an illuminated border. Where LEDs are employed, the switches controlling activation of the LEDs may be controlled by a computer processor as to form different indicia as desired.

(34) In still an additional embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, the luminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed in the form of one or more electroluminescent (EL) panel lamps. The electroluminescent panels may be constructed in various forms such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,755. Alternatively, the electroluminescent panels may be constructed of organic light emitting diodes or devices (OLED), transparent organic light emitting devices (TOLED), or flexible organic light emitting devices (FOLED).

(35) Advantageously, where the luminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed in the form of an EL panel 9, the EL panel can be adhered directly to one of the vehicle's horizontal planar surface 5. Conversely, where the luminescent planar sheet 7 is constructed to include LEDs or light bulbs, the luminescent planar sheet 7 will typically require a frame 15 for holding the light source, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. As illustrated in FIG. 10, preferably any wires for supplying power to the luminescent planar sheet can be routed to a vehicle's existing light bar 27.

(36) As illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, in the currently preferred construction of the vehicular lighting system, each luminescent indicia 9 is constructed to include a central electroluminescent portion powered by a first electrical circuit and a thermal/infrared portion 42 powered by a second electrical circuit. Preferably, the thermal/infrared portion is simply a highly resistant material, such as a silver or copper alloy, in the form of the indicia. As illustrated, the silver material 42 may be printed to form an elongate circuit upon the substrate material adjacent to the illuminated portion of the electroluminescent portion. In operation, a voltage is applied to the resistant material 42 causing the thermal/infrared portion to be heated to form thermal/infrared indicia.

(37) A preferred illuminated vehicle sign of the present invention utilizes electroluminescent indicia operating at 14.4 volts and 800 Hz. To provide these power characteristics, preferably an inverter (not shown) converts the vehicle's DC 12 volts to a nominal 14.4 volts and 800 Hz. However, alphanumeric characters of the same font size have different surface areas. For example, preferred electroluminescent numbers having the same 20 inch height have the following respective surface areas.

(38) TABLE-US-00001 Number Square Inches 0 117 1 68 2 110 3 98 4 107 5 113 6 110 7 78 8 121 9 110

(39) It has been discovered that providing each of numerals with the same wattage results in some numbers being brighter than others. Similarly, if the same wattage is provided to each thermal/infrared portion of the luminescent indicia, this will result in some indicia having a much greater temperature than other indicia or will result in alphanumeric characters with lesser surface areas burning out quicker than others. Moreover, it is common to substitute the alphanumeric characters atop emergency response vehicles.

(40) To overcome these problems, as illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, the switching system 50 of the present invention includes adjustable variable resistors 64 and 74 which adjust the current, and accordingly, the wattage provided to the electroluminescent portion and/or thermal/infrared portion of the indicia to provide uniform luminescence. In one embodiment of the invention, the adjustable variable resistors 64 and 74 are controlled automatically based upon automated determinations of the size of each indicia. To this end, preferably the switching system includes one or more resistance, current, voltage, or wattage sensors for measuring the resistance, current, voltage or wattage of the electroluminescent portion and/or thermal/infrared portion of the luminescent planar sheets, and includes a controller for automatically adjusting the resistance of the adjustable variable resistors 64 and 74 based upon measurements made by these sensors. The circuitry for providing this automatic adjustment of the adjustable variable resistors 64 and 74 can be determined by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation.

(41) In an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, the switching system 50 includes manually controlled variable resistors 64 and 74. Preferably, the switching system 50 includes on/off switches 62 and 72 for activating and deactivating either the electroluminescent portions and/or the thermal/infrared portions 42, and includes manually rotatable switches 64 and 74 for varying the resistance, and thus wattage provided to the electroluminescent portions and/or the thermal/infrared portions 42. Though illustrated in FIGS. 11-17 as in one control box, it is preferred that the on/off switches 62 and 72 be located within the vehicle cabin so as to be easily accessible to emergency response personnel, and it is preferred that the manually rotatable switches 64 and 74 be located so as to be accessible only during installation of vehicular illuminated sign 1 so as to not be inadvertently altered after installation.

(42) In still an additional embodiment, the luminescent panels include one or more resistors (not shown) located within each of the luminescent panels to provide uniform electrical characteristics across the spectrum of different alphanumeric characters. More specifically, for this embodiment, the luminescent indicia are constructed to include resistors electrically connected to the electroluminescent circuitry and/or the thermal/infrared circuitry so that alphanumeric characters of different surface areas can be swapped but still provide uniform luminescence.

(43) With reference to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, preferably the top surfaces of the luminescent panels include a protective coating 41. Because the luminescent panels of the present invention preferably produce light in the visible light spectrum and/or infrared spectrum, it is preferred that the protective coating is substantially translucent within these spectrums of light. However, it is preferred that the protective coating blocks most or substantially all light in the ultraviolet (UV) light spectrum.

(44) The protective coating will provide protection against abrasion and various forms of environmental radiation. The protective coating may take various forms. For example, the protective coating may be incorporated in the manufacturing process utilizing a spray coating. However, a laminate application is preferred. Where the luminescent panel is an electroluminescent panel, it is preferred protective coating forms the upper layer of the electroluminescent panel and is preferably a flexible plastic. Moreover, it is preferred that the protective coating blocks at least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, and even more preferably blocks at least 90% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers. Conversely, it is preferred that the protective coating allow at least 80% transmission of visible infrared light above 450 nanometers, and even more preferably allow at least 85% of visible and infrared light above 500 nanometers. Acceptable protective coatings providing these characteristics include polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) films, polymethyl methacrylate films, Tedlar from Dupont, and Acrylar from 3M Company.

(45) Advantageously, the luminescent panels of the present invention controlled by the control processor so as to illuminate in only the visible spectrum of light, or in only the invisible infrared spectrum of light, or simultaneously in both the visible and infrared light spectrums. Furthermore, and advantageously, the protective coating permits the passage of most of the visible light and infrared light produced by the luminescent panel, while blocking most of the ultraviolet light. Accordingly, the luminescent panel of the present invention is capable of producing visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers, or producing infrared light above 760 nanometers while not producing appreciable visible light below 760 nanometers, or producing both visible light, and infrared light.

(46) Currently, non-illuminated indicia are adhered directly to the roof and trunk areas of emergency response vehicles. Unfortunately, some vehicles have corrugated roofs which result in the alphanumeric characters being warped when adhered to such roofs and difficult to read from above, such as by those in helicopters. As illustrated in FIGS. 11-28, the illuminated vehicle sign 1 of the present invention includes a planar plate 30 upon which the luminescent planar panels 9 are affixed. The luminescent planar panels are affixed to the planar plate 30 using adhesives or the like. To mount the planar plate 30 to the roof of the vehicle, preferably the vehicle is constructed to support a traditional roof rack, and to this end, the vehicle also includes four or more threaded bolt holes installed by the original manufacturer of the vehicle. If installed, the roof rack is removed. The planar plate 30 includes side edge flanges 35 that extend downwardly to mount to the vehicle bolt holes. Bolts, or other threaded fasteners, are employed to affix the planar plate 30 in place. Where the vehicle roof is corrugated to form a plurality of longitudinal troughs, the bolt holes may be located in such troughs. For this construction, the planar plate is preferably constructed to include elongate flanges along its left and right edges that will project into the troughs where vehicle threaded bolt holes are located. The flanges include holes for receiving male fasteners which mount to the vehicle bolt holes.

(47) As illustrated in FIGS. 18-27, in preferred embodiments, the roof plate 30 is specifically constructed to engage and conform to the corrugated features of a vehicle roof. Specifically, a vehicle's corrugated roof 4 includes recessed troughs 38 formed by projecting ridges 39. The troughs and ridges extend longitudinally from the front to the back upon a vehicle's roof and are provided to provide greater stiffness and support. For these embodiments, the planar plate's bottom surface is not wholly planar. Instead, the planar plate's bottom surface includes a plurality of teeth 37 sized for projecting into the vehicle roof's troughs 38. The plate teeth 37 form channels 36 for receiving a vehicle roof's ridges 39.

(48) As illustrated in FIGS. 18-22, a vehicle's corrugated roof may be relatively uniform from front to back providing troughs and ridges which extend longitudinally having the same width and depth where the roof plate 30 is intended to be mounted upon the vehicle roof 4. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 19, for this embodiment the roof plate's channels 36 and teeth 37 are of approximately the same size at the roof plate's front as at the roof plate's rear. The roof plate's channels 36 and teeth 37 may extend longitudinally the entire length of the roof plate from front to back. Alternatively, as best illustrated in FIG. 19, the roof plate channels 36 and teeth 37 may be located only at the roof plate's front and rear edges so as to provide improved aerodynamics and support for the planar plate 30 upon the corrugated roof 4 of a vehicle 3. However, not all vehicles have vehicle troughs and ridges which extend with uniform width and depth. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 23-27, the planar plate 30 may include an edge (illustrated as the rear edge) which includes a bottom surface formed to include channels 36 and teeth 37 for confirming with the corrugated roof's troughs 38 and ridges 39. However, towards the opposite edge of the roof plate, the vehicle's roof may not be corrugated. Accordingly, the planar plate 30 of this embodiment has an opposite edge (illustrated as the front edge) which does not include a plurality of teeth and channels.

(49) The planar plate 30 may be constructed of various materials and manufactured by various methods as can be determined by those skilled in the art. For example, the planar plate illustrated in FIGS. 18-22 is preferably made of a durable plastic such as polyethylene, polystyrene, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene which is machine or molded. An alternative preferred roof plate illustrated in FIGS. 23-27 is made of metal such as steel, aluminum or titanium and is stamped to form the plate's channels 36 and teeth 37.

(50) As illustrated in FIGS. 11-16, the planar plate is preferably rectangular. However, the planar plate may incorporate subtle curves for improved aerodynamics or aesthetics. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGS. 18-27, the planar plate 30 may include a notch or hole 32 for permitting the passage of a radio frequency antennae 34 typically mounted upon the roofs 4 of emergency response vehicles 3. Furthermore, though not shown, a light bar 27 may also be mounted to the planar plate 30 to reduce or eliminate holes drilled into the vehicle after leaving the original manufacturer.

(51) While several particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the following claims.