Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
LIGHT-EMITTING SIGN APPARATUS
FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to light-emitting signage such as
light-
emitting traffic signs, advertisement signs, and other signs providing
information to
people looking at them.
BACKGROUND
Light-emitting signage such as light-emitting traffic signs, advertisement
signs, and
other signs provide information to people looking at them notably by emitting
light.
For example, light-emitting traffic signs emit light as part of information
they convey
to users of vehicles on roads, in parking areas, etc.
While light-emitting traffic signs and other signs have evolved over time,
they may
still sometimes present some drawbacks. For instance, light-emitting traffic
signs
may be significantly bulkier and heavier than conventional non-light-emitting
traffic
signs and/or be limited in designs of light they can emit.
For these and/or other reasons, there is a need for improvements directed to
light-
emitting signs.
SUMMARY
According to various aspects, the present disclosure relates to a light-
emitting sign
comprising a light source for emitting light, in which the light-emitting sign
may be
thin (e.g., comparable to a conventional non-light-emitting sign) while
creating a
desired visual effect using the light emitted by the light source. This may be
achieved, for example, by the light source being thin itself and/or by having
an
external device connected to the light-emitting sign and implementing certain
functionalities (e.g., powering and/or controlling the light source).
For example, in accordance with an aspect, the present disclosure provides a
light-
emitting sign. The light-emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a
light
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source for emitting light. The light source extends between the panel and the
outer
layer. A thickness of the outer layer is less than a thickness of the panel.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting sign.
The light-
emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a light source for
emitting light.
The light source extends between the panel and the outer layer. A thickness of
the
light-emitting sign is no more than 25 millimeters.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting sign.
The light-
emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a light source for
emitting light.
The light source comprises a plurality of light emitters to emit the light and
a base
supporting the light emitters. The base is configured to deliver power to the
light
emitters and is disposed between the panel and the outer layer.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting traffic
sign. The
light-emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a light source for
emitting
light. The light source extends between the panel and the outer layer. A
thickness of
the outer layer is less than a thickness of the panel.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting traffic
sign. The
light-emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a light source for
emitting
light. The light source extends between the panel and the outer layer. A
thickness of
the light-emitting traffic sign is no more than 25 millimeters.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting traffic
sign. The
light-emitting sign comprises a panel, an outer layer and a light source for
emitting
light. The light source comprises a plurality of light emitters to emit the
light and a
base supporting the light emitters. The base is configured to deliver power to
the
light emitters and is disposed between the panel and the outer layer.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting sign
apparatus.
The light-emitting sign apparatus comprises a light-emitting sign that
comprises a
light source for emitting light. The light-emitting sign apparatus also
comprises an
external device that is connectable to the light-emitting sign. The external
device
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comprises a power supply to power the light source and a controller to control
the
light source.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a light-emitting traffic
sign
system. The light-emitting traffic sign system comprises a light-emitting
traffic sign
that comprises a light source for emitting light. The light-emitting traffic
sign system
also comprises an external device that is connectable to the light-emitting
traffic
sign. The external device comprises a power supply to power the light source
and a
controller to control the light source.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will now become apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure is provided
below, by
way of example only, with reference to drawings annexed hereto, in which:
Figure 1 shows an example of a light-emitting sign apparatus comprising a
light-
emitting sign and an external device in accordance with an embodiment of the
present
disclosure;
Figure 2 is partial cross-sectional view of the light-emitting sign depicted
in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the light-emitting sign;
Figure 4 is a front view of the light-emitting traffic sign;
Figure 5 is a front view of an example of an embodiment of the light-emitting
sign in
which the light-emitting sign is a different sort of traffic sign;
Figure 6 is a front view of an example of an emdobiment of the light-emitting
sign in
which light-emitting points of a light source of the light-emitting sign are
disposed at a
border thereof;
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Figure 7 is a front view of an example of an emdobiment of the light-emitting
sign in
which the light source of the light-emitting sign directs the attention of a
user to a
subsent of information on an outer layer of the light-emitting sign;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the light source of the present light-
emitting sign of
Figure 1;
Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the light source of Figure 8;
Figure 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the light-emitting sign in
accordance with
an embodiment in which a panel of the light-emitting sign comprises an
insulator
material;
Figure 11 is a schematic representation of the external device of the light-
emitting sign
apparatus of Figure 1;
Figure 12A is a block diagram representation of an example of an embodiment of
a
controller of a printed circuit board of the light source;
Figure 12B is a block diagram representation of an example of an embodiment of
a
controller of the external device;
Figure 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the light-emitting sign showing
a connector
of the light-emitting sign;
Figure 14 shows an example of an embodiment of the light-emitting sign in
which the
light-emitting sign conveys information from its front surface and its back
surface;
Figure 15 shows a variant of the light-emitting sign of Figure 14 in which at
least part of
the light source is embedded in the panel;
Figure 16 shows an example of an embodiment of the light-emitting sign in
which a
light emitter of the light source is received in the panel;
Figure 17 shows a variant of the light-emitting sign of Figure 16 in which an
opening of
the panel in which the light emitter is received does not extend along an
entirety of a
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thickness of the panel;
Figure 18 shows a variant of the light-emitting sign of Figure 17 in which a
light-passing
covering element is received in the opening of the panel in which the light
emitter is
received;
Figure 19 shows a variant of the light-emitting sign of Figure 18 in which the
light
emitter is affixed to a base of the light source differently;
Figures 20A to 20H are schematic representations of examples of light-emitting
sign
apparatuses comprising a light-emitting sign in accordance with further
embodiments;
Figures 21A to 21C are schematic representations of examples of light-emitting
sign
apparatusus comprising a light-emitting sign in accordance with further
embodiments;
Figure 22 shows a light-emitting sign in accordance with another embodiment in
which
the light-emitting sign displays the speed of an incoming vehicle;
Figure 23 shows a block diagram representation of an exemplary controller of
the light-
emitting sign of Figure 22;
Figure 24 shows an example of an embodiment in which the light-emitting sign
is a
flashing traffic sign;
Figure 25 shows an example of an embodiment in which the light-emitting sign
is a
traffic light (i.e.,a traffic signal);
Figure 26 shows a side view of the traffic light of Figure 25;
Figure 27 shows an example of an embodiment in which the light-emitting sign
is a
stroboscopic traffic sign; and
Figures 28 and 29 show examples of an embodiment in which the light-emitting
sign
comprises various portions mounted adjacent one another.
In the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way
of
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example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings
are only for
purposes of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended
to be a
definition of the limits of the invention defined herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Figures 1 to 4 show an example of a light-emitting sign apparatus 10
comprising a
light-emitting sign 12 for providing information to people viewing it in
accordance with
an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the light-
emitting sign
apparatus 10 is a light-emitting traffic sign apparatus and the light-emitting
sign 12 is a
light-emitting traffic sign for providing information to users of vehicles
(e.g., on a road,
in a parking lot, etc.).
The light-emitting traffic sign 12 comprises a light source 16 for emitting
light to convey
the information to the vehicles' users. In this example, the light-emitting
traffic sign
apparatus 10 also comprises an external device 14 connected to the light-
emitting
traffic sign 12 to operate the light-emitting traffic sign 12 (e.g., to power
and/or control
the light source 16).
As further discussed later, in this embodiment, the light-emitting traffic
sign 12 may
be thin (e.g., compared to a conventional non-light-emitting traffic sign)
while
creating a desired visual effect using the light emitted by the light source
16. This
may be achieved, for example, by the light source 16 being thin itself and by
having
the external device 14 implement certain functionalities (e.g., powering
and/or
controlling the light source 16).
The information conveyed by the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may be any
desired
information. For example, in this embodiment, the information relates to
parking of
vehicles (e.g., on a street, in parking spot, etc.). More particularly, in
this example,
the information relates to a restriction on parking of vehicles at certain
times, notably
when the light source 16 is emitting the light.
The light-emitting traffic sign 12 comprises informational elements 241-24E
representing the information that it conveys. In this example, the
informational
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element 241 is a symbol and the informational element 242 is text. More
particularly,
in this example, the symbol 241 is a prohibitive symbol, which refers to a
"no" symbol
implemented as a circle 241a with a diagonal line 24Th surrounding a character
or
pictogram 241, used to indicate an action is not permitted, in this case a "P"
for
"Parking" so as to indicate that no parking is permitted, while the text 242
expresses
that no parking is permitted when the light emitted by the light-emitting sign
12 is
flashing. In this embodiment, the light source 16 defines at least part of the
informational elements 241-24E of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
Specifically, in this
embodiment, the light source 16 defines the symbol 241, but does not define
the text
242.
In this embodiment, the light-emitting traffic sign 12 comprises the light
source 16, a
panel 20, and an outer layer 22. In this example, the light source 16 extends
between the panel 20 and the outer layer 22. That is, at least part of the
light source
16 is disposed between the panel 20 and the outer layer 22. The light-emitting
traffic
sign 12 comprises a front surface 181 and a back surface 182.
The panel 20 is a support supporting components of the light-emitting traffic
sign 12,
including the light source 16 and the outer layer 22. The panel 20 comprises a
front
surface 211 and a back surface 212. More particularly, in this embodiment, the
back
surface 212 of the panel 20 corresponds to the back surface 182 of the light-
emitting
traffic sign 12 and the front surface 211 of the panel 20 faces towards the
front
surface 181 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
The panel 20 may be shaped in any suitable way. In this example, the panel 20
has
a rectangular shape. The panel 20 may have any other shape. For example, the
panel 20 may have a shape which conveys information to the vehicles' user. For
instance, the panel 20 may have a shape in accordance with a traffic code
system,
such as an octagonal shape for conveying a "STOP" instruction.
In this embodiment, the panel 20 is metallic. That is, the panel 20 is at
least mainly
(i.e., mainly or entirely) made of metallic material. For example, in this
embodiment,
the panel 20 is made of a metal of low density (i.e., light metal), such as
low-density
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steel or aluminium. Alternatively, the panel 20 may be made of a metallic
alloy such
as, for example, aluminium alloy. The aluminium alloying elements may include,
for
example, copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin and zinc. In some examples
of implementation, the panel 20 may be made of an aluminium blank.
The panel 20 has a thickness Tp from the front surface 211 to the back surface
212 of
the panel 20. The thickness Tp of the panel 20 may be small. For example, in
some
embodiments, the thickness Tp of the panel 20 may be no more than 20
millimeters,
in some cases no more than 15 millimeters, and in some cases no more than 10
millimeters, in some cases no more than 5 millimeters, in some cases no more
than
1 millimeters, and in some cases even less (e.g., 0.8 millimeters). For
instance, in
some embodiments, the thickness Tp of the panel 20 may be between 10
millimetres
and 20 millimetres, in some cases between 5 millimeters and 10 millimeters,
and in
some cases between 2 millimeters and 5 millimeters.
The panel 20 may be implemented in any other suitable way in other embodiments
(e.g., may have any other shape and/or comprise any other material). For
instance,
in some embodiments, the panel 20 may not be made of a metallic material at
all
and may rather be made of a non-metallic material, such as plastic material
(e.g.,
acrylic, polycarbonate, high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Moreover, in some
cases, the panel 20 may be made of metallic and non-metallic material. For
example, in some cases, the panel 20 may be made of an aluminum alloy
laminated
over a layer of HDPE (e.g., Alupaner).
The outer layer 22 forms at least part of a periphery of the light-emitting
traffic sign
12. In this example, the outer layer 22 conveys at least part of the
information
provided by the light-emitting traffic sign 12. More particularly, in this
embodiment,
the outer layer 22 comprises the text 242 of the light-emitting traffic sign
12. In this
example, the text 242 is implemented as a printed graphic.
In this embodiment, the outer layer 22 is significantly thin. Notably, it is
significantly
thinner than the panel 20. To that end, in this embodiment, the outer layer 22
comprises a film 25.
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More particularly, in this embodiment, the film 25 is reflective (e.g.,
reflective
sheeting). In some cases, the reflective film 25 may be retroreflective
(e.g.,retroreflective sheeting). Also, in this embodiment, the film 25 is
flexible (e.g.,
flexible reflective sheeting).
For example, in some embodiments, the film 25 may comprise flexible
retroreflective
sheeting that comprises a flexible plastic surface and glass beads or
microprisms
embedded into the flexible plastic surface. The reflective sheeting may be
colored
and/or dyed with a pigment. The retroreflective sheeting may allow the outer
surface
182 of the light-emitting sign 12 to reflect at least a portion of incoming
light and to
return it towards its originator. For example, the retroreflective sheeting
may allow at
least a portion of light emitted from headlights of an approaching car to be
reflected
off the outer surface 182 and returned towards the car. Such flexible
retroreflective
sheeting is commonly available from suppliers such as 3M-rm. In other
instances, the
outer layer 22 may be made from any other material that allows to reflect
light off the
outer layer 22 and to return it back to its originator. The outer layer 22 may
be
resistant to atmospheric agents such as rain and snow, such as to preserve the
integrity of the outer layer 22 when exposed to such atmospheric agents.
As shown in Figure 2, the outer layer 22 comprises a front surface 261 and a
back
surface 262. The front surface 261 of the outer layer 22 faces away from the
front
surface 211 of the panel 20 and conveys the text 242 to the vehicles' users.
The back
surface 262 of the outer layer 22 faces towards the front surface 211 of the
panel 20.
In this example, the back surface 262 of the outer layer 22 is bonded to at
least part
of the front surface 211 of the panel 20. For instance, the outer layer 22 may
be
laminated onto the panel 20 and over the light source 16. More particularly,
in this
example, the back surface 262 of the outer layer 22 is adhesively bonded to
the front
surface 211 of the panel 20 using, for example, an adhesive film, an adhesive
liner or
glue.
In this embodiment, the outer layer 22 is affixed to the panel 20 to sandwich
and
seal at least part of the light source 16 between the outer layer 22 and the
panel 20.
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More particularly, in this embodiment, the outer layer 22 has a shape such
that at
least part of the outer layer 22 abuts with at least part of the panel 20
while at least
part of the light source 16 is sandwiched between the outer layer 22 and the
panel
20. In this implementation, a perimeter of the outer layer 22 abuts with a
perimeter of
the panel 20 when the outer layer 22 is disposed onto the panel 20.
The outer layer 22 has a thickness Tot from the front surface 261 to the back
surface
262 of the outer layer 22. In this example, the thickness Tot of the outer
layer 22 is
significantly less than the thickness Tp of the panel 20. For instance, in
some
embodiments, the thickness ToL of the outer layer 22 may be less than half the
thickness Tp of the panel 20, in some cases less than one-third of the
thickness Tp
of the panel 20, in some cases less than one-quarter of the thickness Tp of
the panel
20, in some cases less than one-fifth of the thickness Tp of the panel 20, and
in
some cases even less (e.g., one-tenth of the thickness Tp of the panel 20).
For
example, in some embodiments, the thickness Tot of the outer layer 22 may be
no
more than 3 millimeters, in some cases no more than 2 millimeters, and in some
cases no more than 1 millimeter, in some cases no more than 0.5 millimeters,
and in
some cases even less (e.g., 0.1 millimeters). For instance, in some
embodiments,
the thickness TOL of the outer layer 22 may be between 2 millimetres and 3
millimetres, in some cases between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters, and in some
cases between 0.1 millimeters and 1 millimeter.
In this embodiment, the outer layer 22 conveys at least part of the
information to the
vehicles' users. Notably, in this case, the outer layer 22 comprises the text
242. The
outer layer 22 may comprise any other graphics or other informational elements
in
other embodiment, such as, for example, symbols, geometric designs, text,
images,
and color.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 13, the outer layer 22 may also
comprise a
protective film 110 disposed onto the film 25. The protective film 110 may be
substantially transparent to allow the information of the outer layer 22 to
remain visible
to the vehicles' users. The protective film 110 may also be reflective to
allow reflection
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
of the light being shed onto the light-emitting sign 12. The protective film
110 may
comprise a plastic material (e.g., polycarbonate) and has a relatively small
thickness.
For example, the thickness of the protective film 110 may be between 0.05
millimeters
and 0.2 millimeters. The protective film 110 may be adhesively affixed to the
film 25
(e.g., via an adhesive liner of the protective film 110).
In this example of implementation, the outer layer 22 comprises a plurality of
openings
281-28x to accommodate at least part of the light source 16, as will be
discussed later.
The openings 281-28x are disposed on the outer layer 22 such as to convey at
least
part of the information of the light-emitting traffic sign 12. The openings
281-28x may be
formed in any suitable way, such as by cutting, punching or drilling. For
example, the
openings 281-28x may be formed by a blade controlled via a computer numerical
control (CNC) machine.
The outer layer 22 may be implemented in any other suitable way in other
embodiments (e.g., may have any other shape and/or comprise any other
material).
The light source 16 is configured to emit light to assist in conveying the
information
provided by the light-emitting traffic sign 12 to the vehicles' users.
Notably, in this
embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the light source 16 is arranged such that
the light
defines the symbol 241 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12. More
particularly, the light
source 16 defines at least a majority (i.e., a majority or an entirety) of the
symbol 241
which is the "no parking" symbol implemented by the circle 241a with the
diagonal line
241b surrounding the "P" character 24ic used to indicate that no parking is
permitted. In
this example, the openings 281-28x of the outer layer 22 are disposed in
accordance
with the circle 241a, the diagonal line 241b and the pictogram 24ic to
accommodate the
light source 16 and cause the symbol 241 to be illuminated and to diffuse
light
outwardly from the front surface 181 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
In this embodiment, the text 242, a geometric shape 35 and a line 37 on the
front
surface 261 of the outer layer 22 are not defined by the light emitted by the
light source
16 and thus no openings are provided to accommodate the light source 16 for
this
purpose. Alternatively, in other instances, the text 242 "NO PARKING WHEN
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FLASHING" may be defined by the light source 16. In these instances, the light
source
16 is arranged to define all the letters of the text 242 and openings 281-28),
are provided
on the outer layer 22 to accommodate the light source 16 defining the letters
of the text
242.
The light emitted by the light source 16 may define at least part of any other
informational element in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments,
as
shown in Figure 5, the light may define at least part of a symbol 1241 that is
a
permissive symbol, which refers to a "yes" symbol implemented as a circle
1241a
surrounding a character or pictogram 1241b used to indicate an action is
permitted, in
this case an arrow curving right to indicate that a right turn is permitted.
The light
source 16 may be arranged such that the light emitted by the light source 16
defines at
least part of a plurality of symbols such as the symbol 1241.
The light source 16 may be arranged such that the light is emitted from light-
emitting
points 224a-224s distributed over a significant area of the light-emitting
traffic sign 12.
For example, in this embodiment, the light source 16 is arranged such that at
least
part of the light is emitted remotely from a border 256 of the light-emitting
traffic sign
12. The border 256 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 is a band that
extends around
a periphery 258 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 and has a width Wg
corresponding
to one-tenth of a width DES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12, which is a
horizontal
dimension of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
For instance, in this embodiment, respective ones of the light-emitting points
224a
224are spaced from the periphery 258 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 by
at least
one-tenth, in some cases at least one-quarter, in some cases at least one-
third, and
in some cases an even greater proportion of the width DES of the light-
emitting sign
12.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 6, the light-emiitting points 224a-
224s may
be disposed at the border 256 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
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In some embodiments, the light emitted by the light source 16 may assist in
directing
the attention of the vehicles' users to a subset of the information on the
outer layer
22. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the light may inform the users that a
certain
condition conveyed by the information is in effect (i.e., "no parking" will be
in effect in
minimum 12 hours), whereas another condition conveyed by the information is
not in
effect (i.e.,"no parking" in minimum 24 hours, in minimum 6 hours, in minimum
1
hour, or in effect). The light source 16 is arranged such that it may
interchangeably
identify a specific subset of the information.
The light emitted by the light source 16 may be of any suitable color. For
example, it
may be of various colors to facilitate communication of more complex
information
and/or to enhance the capability of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 to
attract
attention. For example, the light may be red to indicate that a certain action
is
prohibited, or the light may be orange to inform to user to exercise caution,
or the
light may be green to indicate that a certain action is permitted. Other
colors may be
used to provide any other information.
In this embodiment, as seen in Figure 8, the light source 16 comprises a
plurality of
light emitters 321-32x and a base 34 supporting and delivering power to the
light
emitters 321-32x.
Each of the light emitters 321-32x is configured to emit light when powered.
As such,
the light emitters 321-32x may comprise the light-emitting points 224a-224s of
the light
source 16. Any suitable light-emitting device may be used to implement the
light
emitters 321-32x.
In this embodiment, the light emitters 321-32x are light-emitting diodes
(LEDs). Any
suitable LED technology may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the
LEDs may use between approximately 10 milliamps and 100 milliamps of current
and have an output intensity, measured in millicandella, of at least 3000
millicandella, at least 4000 millicandella, at least 5000 millicandella, at
least 7000
millicandella, at least 9000 millicandella or at least 10000 millicandella.
The LEDs
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321-32x may use any other suitable power and/or may output light with any
other
intensity in other embodiments.
In some instances, the light emitters 321-32x may have a radiation pattern
having a
radiation angle A that may be optimized for conditions in which the light-
emitting
traffic sign 12 is employed. For example, in some embodiments, the radiation
angle
A may be no more than 180 degrees, in some cases no more than 120 degrees, in
some cases no more than 60 degrees, in some cases no more than 45 degrees, in
some cases no more than 30 degrees, and in some cases even less (e.g., 15
degrees). Since the light-emitting traffic sign 12 is to be pointed towards
oncoming
traffic, the light emitted by the light emitters 321-32x may thereby be
directed towards
oncoming traffic so as to avoid or reduce being be seen by traffic on side
streets,
thus minimizing the need for shielding the light emitted from the light
emitters 32i-
32x.
The light emitters 321-32x may be implemented by oher types of light emitters
besides LEDs in other embodiments, such as, for example, fluorescent lamps,
neon
lamps and halogen lamps.
Any suitable number of light emitters may be used. For instance, the number of
light
emitters 321-32x may be defined by, for example, the size of the light-
emitting traffic
sign 12, the number and size of the informational elements conveyed by light,
the
spacing between the light emitters 321-32x, the type of light emitters 321-
32x, the size
of the light emitters 321-32x, and/or the intensity of the light emitters 321-
32x.
For example, in some embodiments, the light emitters 321-32x may include at
least
ten light emitters, in some cases at least twenty light emitters, in some
cases at least
thirty light emitters, in some cases at least forty light emitters, in some
cases at least
fifty light emitters, and in some cases even more.
In this embodiment, the light-emitting traffic sign 12 comprises a light-
passing cover
that overlays the light source 16 to protect it and allows the light emitted
by the
light source 12 to pass through the light-passing cover 30. The light-passing
cover
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30 may prevent atmospheric agents (e.g., rain, snow, wind, dust, etc.) from
entering
in contact with the light emitters 321-32x and/or with the base 34. The light-
passing
cover 30 is substantially transparent and allows passing of the light.
In this embodiment, the light-passing cover 30 partially extends between the
panel
20 and the outer layer 22 (i.e., a portion of the light-passing cover 30 is
disposed
beneath the outer layer 22). More particularly, the light-passing cover 30
partially
extends between the front surface 211 of the panel 20 and the back surface 262
of
the outer layer 22.
The light-passing cover 30 may be implemented in any suitable way. In this
embodiment, the light-passing cover 30 comprises a plurality of light-passing
covering elements 401-40c that overlie respective ones of the light emitters
321-32x.
In this case, the light-passing covering elements 401-40c are individually and
separately disposed onto the respective ones of the light emitters 321-32x.
More particularly, in this embodiment, each light-passing covering lement 40;
comprises polymeric material, such as for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
In
other embodiments, the light-passing covering element 40, may comprise
acrylic,
polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass, or any other
suitable
material. The material of the light-passing covering lement 40; may have anti-
UV
properties. The light-passing covering element 40; comprises an inner concave
surface 42, an outer convex surface 44, and portions 461, 462 adjacent the
light
emitter 32; that it overlies. The inner concave surface 42 accommodates the
light
emitter 32; when the light-passing covering element 40; is overlaid on the
light emitter
32; and the portions 461, 462 extend on at least a part of a surface of the
base 34
surrounding the light emitter 32; to seal the light emitter 32; and the base
34.
In this embodiment, the light-passing covering element 40; projects outwardly
beyond the outer layer 22, specifically, beyond the front surface 261 of the
outer
layer 22, whereas the extending portions 461, 462 are disposed between the
front
surface 211 of the panel and the back surface 262 of the outer layer 22 (i.e.,
a portion
of the light-passing covering element 40, is dipsposed beneath the outer layer
22).
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
While in this embodiment, individual light-passing covering elements are used
for
each of the light emitters 321-32õ, in other implementations, the light-
passing cover
30 may be a unitary piece of material comprising a plurality of light-passing
covering
elements 401_40c, wherein each one of the plurality of light-passing covering
elements 401-40c overlays one of the light emitters 321-32x. As will be
described in
more detail below, in this implementation, the plurality of light-passing
covering
elements 401_40c defines a path that corresponds to a path of illumination 38
of the
base 34 such as to overlay the light emitters 321-32x of the base 34.
The base 34 of the light source 16 comprises a front surface 48 and a back
surface
50 and supports and delivers power to the light emitters 321-32,. In this
embodiment,
the base 34 comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) 36. Since it is used for
display
purposes, in this example, the PCB 36 may be referred to as a "display" board
or
card. The PCB 36 is disposed between the panel 20 and the outer layer 22. More
particularly, the PCB 36 is disposed between the front surface 211 of the
panel 20
and the back surface 262 of the outer layer 22.
The PCB 36 comprises a substrate 52 and an electrical circuit 54 supported by
the
substrate 52 and configured to deliever power to the light emitters 321-32x.
The
substrate 52 may be thin and flexible and may be composed of any suitable
material, such as, for example, fiber glass and/or plastic. The electrical
circuit 54
comprises conductors 33 extending on the PCB 36 and connected to the light
emitters 321-32x.
In this embodiment, the light emitters 321-32x are mounted on a side of the
PCB 36
to define the path of illumination 38. The light emitters 321-32x may be
mounted to
the PCB 36 in any suitable way, such as by being soldered or glued to the
surface of
the PCB 36. For example, in embodiments where the light emitters 321-32x are
LEDs, the LEDs may be "surface mounted" LEDs that do not have wires but rather
have small metallic contacts that can be soldered directly to the PCB 36. The
path of
illumination 38 outlines the perimeter of the symbol 241 to be defined by
light.
16
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
Notably, the path of illumination 38 outlines the circle 241a, the diagonal
241b and the
character 241c.
In some embodiments, a thickness Tina; of the PCB 36 may be no more than 2
millimeters, in some cases no more than 1 millimeter, in some cases no more
than
0.5 millimeters and in some cases even less (e.g., 0.4, 0.3 millimeters).
The PCB 36 may comprise a controller 160 to control the light emitters 321-
32x. As
shown in Figure 12A, the controller 160 may comprise an interface 166, a
processing portion 168, and a memory portion 170, which are implemented by
suitable hardware and/or software. The interface 166 comprises one or more
inputs
and outputs allowing the controller 160 to receive input signals from and send
output
signals to other components to which the controller 160 is connected (i.e.,
directly or
indirectly connected). The processing portion 168 comprises one or more
processors for performing processing operations that implement functionality
of the
controller 160. A processor of the processing portion 168 may be a general-
purpose
processor executing program code stored in the memory portion 170.
Alternatively, a
processor of the processing portion 168 may be a specific-purpose processor
comprising one or more preprogrammed hardware or firmware elements (e.g.,
application-specific integrated circuits (AS ICs), electrically erasable
programmable
read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.) or other related elements. The memory
portion 170 comprises one or more memories for storing program code executed
by
the processing portion 168 and/or data used during operation of the processing
portion 168. A memory of the memory portion 170 may be a semiconductor medium
(including, e.g., a solid-state memory), a magnetic storage medium, an optical
storage medium, and/or any other suitable type of memory. A memory of the
memory portion 170 may be read-only memory (ROM) and/or random-access
memory (RAM), for example.
In this embodiment, the light-emitting sign 12 comprises an electrical
insulator 45
disposed between the light source 16 and the panel 20. The electrical
insulator 45
prevents electric conduction between the panel 20 and the light source 16.
More
17
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
particularly, in this embodiment, the electrical insulator 45 is disposed
between the
base 34 of the light source 16 and the panel 20. Specifically, in this
example, the
electrical insulator 45 is disposed between the PCB 36 and the panel 20. The
electrical insulator 45 may be implemented in any suitable way. For instance,
in
some embodiments, the electrical insulator 45 may comprise fabric and an
adhesive
layer on the fabric. For example, the electrical insultator 45 may consist of
double-
sided tape.
The light-emitting traffic sign 12 may be considerably thin. Notably, in some
embodiments, the light-emitting tracffic sign 12 may be comparably thin to a
standard non-light-emitting traffic sign.
A thickness TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may thus be small. For
instance,
in some embodiments, the thickness TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12
may be
no more than 25 millimeters, in some cases no more than 20 millimeters, in
some
cases no more than 15 millimeters, in some cases no more than 10 millimeters,
and
in some cases even less (e.g., 8 millimeters).
In some embodiments, the thickness TLS of the light source 16 may correspond
to at
least a majority of the thickness TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
For instance,
in some cases, a ratio of the thickness Ti_s of the light source 16 over the
thickness
TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may be at least 0.4, in some cases
at least
0.5, in some cases at least 0.6, in some cases at least 0.7, in some cases at
least
0.8, in some cases at least 0.9 and in some cases even more. This ratio may
have
any other suitable value in other embodiments. Accordingly, in this example,
the
thickness TLS of the light source 16 may be equal to or greater than a sum of
the
thickness Tp of the panel 20 and the thickness ToL of the outer layer 22 (Tp +
ToL)
(i.e., a dimension of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 from the back surface
212 of the
panel 20 to the front surface 261 of the outer layer 22). For example, in some
cases,
the dimension of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 from the back surface 212
of the
panel 20 to the front surface 261 of the outer layer 22 may be no more than 20
millimeters, in some cases no more than 15 millimeters, in some cases no more
than
18
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
millimeters, in some cases no more than 5 millimeters, and in some cases even
less (e.g., 4 millimeters).
Moreover, in some cases, a ratio of the thickness TLS of the light source 16
over the
thickness Tp of the panel 20 may be no more than 4, in some cases no more than
3,
5 in some cases no more than 2, in some cases no more than 1.5 and in some
cases
even less.
The panel 20 may be relatively thin. For instance, a ratio of the thickness
Tpcg of the
printed circuit board 36 over the thickness Tp of the panel 20 may be no more
than
0.4, in some cases no more than 0.3, in some cases no more than 0.2, in some
10 cases no more than 0.15, in some cases no more than 0.1, and in some
cases even
less.
Moreover, in some cases, the thickness Tp of the panel 20 may correspond to at
least one-third of the thickness TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12. In
some
cases, the thickness Tp of the panel 20 may correspond to at least a majority
of the
thickness TES of the light-emitting traffic sign 12. For example, the the
thickness Tp
of the panel 20 may correspond to at least three-quarters of the thickness TES
of the
light-emitting traffic sign 12. For instance, in some cases a ratio of the
thickness TES
of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 over the thickness Tp of the panel 20
may be no
more than 4, in some cases no more than 3, in some cases no more than 2, and
in
some cases even less.
The external device 14 is connected to the light-emitting traffic sign 12 to
operate the
light-emitting traffic sign 12. In this embodiment, the external device 14 is
configured to
power and control the light source 16 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
To that end, as
shown in Figure 11, the external device 14 comprises a power supply 60 and a
controller 70. The external device 14 is connected to the light-emitting
traffic sign 12 via
a cable 80. In this embodiment, the external device 14 comprises a housing 13
for
housing one or more components of the external device 14, including at least
part of
the controller 70 and at least part of the power supply 60.
19
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
The power supply 60 is configured to power the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
In this
embodiment, the power supply 60 comprises a battery 62, another battery 63, a
battery
charging circuit 64, and a solar panel 66. In this example, each of the
batteries 62, 63
is rechargeable. For instance, each of the batteries 62, 63 may be a
rechargeable
lithium battery. Any other suitable type of battery may be used.
Each of the batteries 62, 63 is electrically connected to the solar panel 66
via the
battery charging circuit 64 so that the solar panel 66 can charge each of the
batteries
62, 63. When sufficient ambient light is available, the solar panel 66 can
thus charge
the batteries 62, 63. Alternatively or in addition to the solar panel 66, in
some
embodiments, each of the batteries 62, 63 may be electrically connected to an
external
electrical power source (not shown) such as any low voltage DC power source.
The controller 70 is configured to control operation of the light-emitting
traffic sign
12, including the light source 16. The controller 70 is electrically coupled
to the light
source 16 via the cable 80. In this embodiment, the controller 70 controls the
operation of the light emitters 321-32x. For example, the controller 70 may
cause one
or more of the light emitters 321-32x to be continuously lit, to be lit in a
strobe-like
manner, or in a flashing manner. The controller 70 may allow only a subset (or
a
selected group) of the light emitters 321-32x to be lit (e.g., to illuminate a
specific
graphic on the light-emitting sign 12) or may allow only a specific color
light emitters
321-32x to be lit. For example, in some embodiments, the controller 70 may
allow
only the yellow light emitters 321-32x to be on (caution lights) or only the
red light
emitters 321-32x to be on (warning lights) or only the green light emitters
321-32x to
be on (action permitted). The controller 70 may further control the intensity
of the
light emitters 321-32x.
In this embodiment, the controller 70 is configured to manage the power supply
60,
including use of the batteries 62, 63 and charging of these batteries by the
solar
panel 66. For example, in this embodiment, the controller 70 is configured to
selectively cause a given of the batteries 62, 63 to power the light source 16
based
on a charge of the given one of the batteries 62, 63. For example, in this
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
embodiment, the controller 70 is configured to assess a charge of each of the
batteries 62, 63 and, based on the charge of each of the batteries 62, 63,
selectively
cause either one of the batteries 62, 63 to power the light source 16 and
cause the
other one of the batteries 62, 63 to be charged by the solar panel 66. As
such, each
of the batteries 62, 63 may be referred to as having two operation modes,
notably a
"powering mode" whereby the battery powers the light source 16 and a "charging
mode" whereby the battery is charged by the solar panel 66. The controller 70
may
change which one of the batteries 62, 63 is in its powering mode and which one
of
the batteries 62, 63 is in its charging mode based on a characteristic of the
batteries
62, 63 (e.g., the charge of the batteries 62, 63). For instance, in one
example of
implementation, the controller 70 may switch the respective operation modes of
the
batteries 62, 63 upon detecting that the charge of the battery that is in the
powering
mode has reached a given low threshold level. That is, when the charge of the
battery that is in the powering mode reaches the low threshold level, the
controller
70 may change the operation modes of the batteries 62, 63 such that the
battery that
was previously in the powering mode (i.e., the battery that reached the low
threshold
level of charge) is switched into its charging mode and the battery that was
previously in its charging mode is switched into its powering mode.
In this embodiment, the controller 70 is implemented by a printed circuit
board (PCB)
72 of the external device 14. Since it is used for control purposes, in this
example,
the PCB 72 may be referred to as a "control" board or card.
As shown in Figure 12B, in some embodiments, the controller 70 of the external
device 14 may comprise an interface 266, a processing portion 268, and a
memory
portion 270, which are implemented by suitable hardware and/or software. The
interface 266 comprises one or more inputs and outputs allowing the controller
70 to
receive input signals from and send output signals to other components to
which the
controller 70 is connected (i.e., directly or indirectly connected). The
processing
portion 268 comprises one or more processors for performing processing
operations
that implement functionality of the controller 70. A processor of the
processing
portion 268 may be a general-purpose processor executing program code stored
in
21
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
the memory portion 270. Alternatively, a processor of the processing portion
268
may be a specific-purpose processor comprising one or more preprogrammed
hardware or firmware elements (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits
(ASICs),
electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.) or
other
related elements. The memory portion 270 comprises one or more memories for
storing program code executed by the processing portion 268 and/or data used
during operation of the processing portion 268. A memory of the memory portion
270
may be a semiconductor medium (including, e.g., a solid-state memory), a
magnetic
storage medium, an optical storage medium, and/or any other suitable type of
memory. A memory of the memory portion 270 may be read-only memory (ROM)
and/or random-access memory (RAM), for example.
The housing 13 houses at least part of the power supply 60 and at least part
of the
controller 70. In this embodiment, the solar panel 66 and the housing 13 are
mounted together to enclose a remainder of the power supply 60 (notably the
batteries) and the controller 70 (including the PCB 72 implementing it).
As shown in Figure 13, in this embodiment, the light-emitting traffic sign 12
comprises a connector 90 for connecting the light-emitting traffic sign 12 to
the
extermal device 14. More particularly, in this embodiment, the connector 90
connects the controller 70 and the power supply 60 of the external device 14
to the
light source 16. In this example, the connector 90 is mounted to the panel 20.
For
instance, the panel 20 comprises an opening 56 that extends from the front
surface
211 to the back surface 212 of the panel 20 and which is of a suitable size
and shape
for receiving the connector 90. The connector 90 is linked to the PCB 36 of
the light
source 16. A protective film (not shown) may be apposed onto a front surface
39 of
the PCB 36 (which in this case corresponds to the front surface 48 of the base
34 of
the light source 16) to maintain the PCB 36 in place. The connector 90 is
sealingly
disposed in the opening 56 using, for example, epoxy, silicone, urethane or
any
suitable thermoplastic. In this example, the connector 90 is disposed in the
opening
56 and a seal (not shown) covers the connector 90 and substantially fills the
opening
56. Electrical circuitry conveys electrical signals from the power supply 60
and the
22
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
controller 70 of the external device 14 to the light source 16 through the
cable 80. In
some instances, the connector 90 may comprise a controller to regulate which
ones
of the light emitters 321-32x, if any, are to be lit.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 11, the external device 14 may
comprise
a wireless interface 15 for wirelessly communicating with a remote
communication
apparatus 58. For example, the wireless interface 15 may be able to receive
and/or
transmit different signals wirelessly from and/or to the remote communication
apparatus 58 to control the operation of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
The wireless
interface 15 may wirelessly communicate over a wireless communication link,
which
may be implemented by a wireless network (e.g., a cellular network) or a
satellite
link, for instance.
In some embodiments, the external device 14 further comprises a sensor 17
which
detects certain changes in the environment of the light-emitting sign 12. For
instance, the changes in the environment that can be detected by the sensor 17
may
be related to temperature, electrical power, signal transmission, moisture and
water
level, or the like. For example, the sensor 17 may detect a change in
temperature
(e.g., a temperature drop), moisture (e.g., precipitation) or water level
(e.g., flooding)
in the environment. The sensor 17 is in communication with the controller 70
and
conveys a signal to the controller 70 conveying the change that is detected in
the
environment. In response to the signal from the sensor 17, the controller 70
may
cause one or more of the light emitters 321-32x to go on and/or off in order
to convey
an information relating to the change that is detected in the environment. The
sensor
17 may be mounted on the external device 14, such as on the housing 13 to be
exposed to the surrounding environment of the external device 14.
Each of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 and the external device 14 may
comprise an
attachment (not shown) to attach the light-emitting traffic sign 10 and the
external
device 14 to a holding structure such as a post, a pole, a frame or the like.
The light-emitting traffic sign appartus 10 may be implemented in various
other ways
in other embodiments.
23
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 14, the light-emitting
sign
12 may convey information from its front surface 181 and its back surface 182.
In this
embodiment, the light-emitting sign 12 comprises the outer layer 22 and the
light
source 16 (which, in this, case can be considered a first outer layer 22 and a
first
light source 16 respectively) adjacent the front surface 211 of the panel 20,
and a
second outer layer 222 and a second light source 216 adjacent the back surface
212
of the panel 20. The second outer layer 222 and the second light sources 216
are
substantially similar to that described above in respect of the first outer
layer 22 and
the first light source 16. In this example, a position of the first light
source 16 on the
front surface 211 of the panel 20 corresponds to a position of the second
light source
216 on the back surface 212 of the panel 20 such that the light-emitting sign
12 can
convey the same information on its front and back surfaces 181, 182.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 15, the panel 20 of the light-emitting
sign
12 may comprise one or more insulating materials in order to receive the light
source
16 without an insulating layer present between the panel 20 and the light
source 16.
The insulating material of the panel 20 may comprise wood (e.g., plywood),
polymeric material (e.g., plastic such as acrylic, polycarbonate, high density
polyethylene (HDPE)), or any other suitable insultating material. In such
embodiments, at least part of the light source 16 may be embedded in the panel
20.
For example, the base 34 of the light source 16 comprising the PCB 36 may be
embedded into the panel 20. Moreover, the substrate 52 of the PCB 36 has
circuits
printed on both its front and back surfaces 48, 50 to accommodate the light
emitters
321-32 on both surfaces. In such embodiments, the outer layers 22, 222 are
disposed on each of the front and back surfaces 211, 212 of the panel 20.
In other embodiments, as shown in Figure 16, the panel 20 may receive therein
at
least part of the light source 16. That is, one or more components of the
light source
16 may be located between the front and back surfaces 211, 212 of the panel
20.
To that end, in this embodiment, the panel 20 comprises a plurality of
openings 65i-
65x spanning the entirety of the thickness Tp of the panel 20 (i.e., from the
front
24
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
surface 211 to the back surface 212) for receiving at least part of the light
source 16.
More specifically, each opening 65, is sized and shaped to receive a
respective light
emitter 32, such that one or more of the light emitters 321-32, are located
between
the front and back surfaces 211, 212 of the panel 20. In other embodiments,
the
opening 65 may be sized and shaped to receive more than one light emitter 32,
(e.g.,
two light emitters). Moreover, each opening 65, of the panel 20 is aligned
with a
respective opening 28, of the outer layer 22 such that light emitted from the
light
emitter 32, is diffused outwardly from the light-emitting sign 12. A light-
passing cover
230 is disposed onto the front surface 261 of the outer layer 22 to prevent
atmospheric agents from reaching the interior of the opening 204. The light-
passing
cover 230 is similar to the light-passing cover 30 described above, notably
comprising a transparent polymeric material (e.g., a transparent
thermoplastic) to
allow the light emitted by the light emitter 32, to pass through the light-
passing cover
230 and to diffuse outwardly from the light-emitting sign 12. In this
embodiment, the
light-passing cover 230 is an outermost layer of the light-emitting sign 12
such that it
defines at least part of the front surface 181 of the light-emitting sign 12.
Moreover,
the light-passing cover 230 is flat since it does not have to accommodate the
thickness TLS of the light source 16. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the
base 34 of
the light source 16 is supported on the back surface 212 of the panel 20 and a
protective layer 100 is disposed on the back surface 212 of the panel 20 to
maintain
the base 34 of the light source 16 in place and to prevent atmospheric agents
from
reaching the PCB 36 and the interior of the opening 65,. In such embodiments,
the
panel 20 comprises one or more insulating materials as described above with
respect to the embodiment of Figure 15.
In a variant, as shown in Figure 17, each opening 65, may extend along a part
of the
thickness Tp of the panel 20 rather than its entirety. For example, the
opening 65,
may be disposed on the front surface 211 of the panel 20 and extend along more
than half the thickness Tp of the panel 20 (i.e., a majority of the thickness
Tp of the
panel 20). In this example, the opening 65, receives at least part of the
light source
16 therein. For instance, the opening 65i may receive a portion of the base 34
of the
light source 16 and a light emitter 32,. Furthermore, in this example of
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
implementation, the light-passing cover 230 is disposed between the panel 20
and
the outer layer 22 and covers the opening 65; preventing atmospheric agents
from
reaching the interior of the opening 65,. In this variant, the light-passing
cover 230
spans a majority of the front surface 211 of the panel 20. The light-passing
cover 230
may be affixed between the panel 20 and the outer layer 22 in any suitable
way. For
instance, in this example, the light-passing cover 230 is adhesively mounted
onto
the back surface 262 of the outer layer 22.
In accordance with another variant, as shown in Figure 18, the light-passing
cover
230 may comprise a plurality of light-passing covering elements 2401-240c for
covering a plurality of openings 751-75x of the panel 20. Each opening 75,
extends
along a majority of the thickness Tp of the panel 20 and comprises a first
portion 68
and a second portion 74. The first portion 68 is larger than the second
portion 74
along a plane parallel to the front surface 211 of the panel 20 and is
configured to
receive a light-passing covering element 240,. The light-passing covering
element
240, has a size and shape suitable for fitting in the first portion 68 while
covering the
second portion 74 of the opening 75,. The second portion 74 of the opening 75;
is
configured to receive at least part of the light source 16. For instance, in
this
example of implementation the second portion 74 of the opening 75; receives a
portion of the base 34 of the light source 16 and a light emitter 32,.
In accordance with another variant, as shown in Figure 19, the base 34 of the
light
source 16 may be disposed in the enlarged portion 68 of the opening 75. In
this
example of implementation, the light emitter 32, is affixed to the back
surface 50 of
the base 34 via a conductive connector 69 that conductively connects the light
emitter 32; to the base 34. In this example, the conductive connector 69
comprises a
plurality of legs extending from the light emitter 32. The conductive
connector 69
may be affixed to the base 34 in any suitable way (e.g., soldering).
Furthermore, in
this variant, the light-passing covering element 240; that covers the opening
75; is
also received in the first portion 68 of the opening 75,.
26
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
Although in this embodiment and in the various implementations thereof, the
light-
emitting traffic sign 12 is a parking sign, the light-emitting sign 12 may be
any other
traffic sign in other embodiments.
For example, in other embodiments, the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may be a
regulatory sign (e.g., a stop sign, a yield sign, a speed limit sign, a
pedestrian
crossing sign, a no-left-turn or no-right-turn sign, etc.) as shown in Figures
20A-F, or
a warning sign (e.g., a deer-crossing sign, a winding road sign, etc.) as
shown in
Figures 21A-21C.
Furthermore, in some embodiments, with reference to Figures 22 and 23, the
light-
emitting traffic sign 12 may be a speed display sign that displays a speed of
an
incoming vehicle. In such embodiments, the PCB 36 comprises a controller 360
having a similar functionality as the controller 160 described above, notably
comprising an interface 366, a processing porton 368, and a memory portion 370
that are similar to the interface 166, the processing portion 168 and the
memory
portion 170. The controller 360 further comprises a speed sensor 362 for
sensing
the speed of an incoming vehicle. For example, the speed sensor 362 may
comprise
a radar that uses the Doppler effect to measure the incoming vehicle's speed.
The
speed sensor 362 may be configured in any other suitable way. As shown in
Figure
22, in this embodiment, the light emitters 321-32 of the light source 16 are
positioned such as to form an array. The controller 360 is configured to
control which
ones of the light-emitters 32i-32 of the array are lit in order to convey the
speed of
the incoming vehicle as sensed by the speed sensor 362. That is, the
controller 360
selects a subset of the light-emitters 321-32 of the array to be lit such as
to visually
represent in the array a number associated with the speed of the incoming
vehicle
(e.g., 50 km/h).
As yet another example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7, the light-
emitting traffic sign 12 may be a variable-messaging sign that can vary a
message it
displays (e.g., to provide information about accidents, congestion, roadwork,
or
speed limits on certain segments of roads).
27
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 24, the light-emitting traffic sign 12
may
be a flashing traffic sign. More specifically, the light source 16 of the
light-emitting
traffic sign 12 may "blink" by being alternatingly lit and extinguished. For
instance, in
one example of implementation, a first subset 400 of the light-emitters 321-
32, may
be lit while a second subset 402 of the light-emitters 321-32, is extinguished
and,
subsequently, the first subset 400 of the light-emitters 321-32, may be
extingusihed
while the second subset 402 of the light-emitters 321-32, is lit. The first
and second
subsets 400, 402 of the light-emitters 321-32, may be arranged to have any
shape
(e.g., round, square) or form any suitable character (e.g., a symbol). A
character 24k,
such as a "pedestrian crossing" character, may be provided on the outer layer
22 of
the light-emitting traffic sign 12 adjacent to the first and second subsets
400, 402 of
the light-emitters 321-32,. In some examples, all the light-emitters 321-32,
of the light
source 16 may be lit and extinguished simultaneously such that all the light-
emitters
321-32, blink simultaneously. Moreover, in some examples, the light source 16
may
comprise more than two subsets of the light-emitters 321-32, or, in other
examples, a
signle subset of the light-emitters 321-32,.
Furthermore, while the light-emitting traffic sign 12 has been so far
described as
comprising a single panel 20 and outer layer 22, in other embodiments, as
shown in
Figures 28 and 29, the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may comprise separate
portions,
each comprising its respective panel and outer layer (such as the panel 20 and
outer
layer 22 described above). For instance, in one example of implementation, the
light-
emitting traffic sign 12 may comprise a first portion 610, a second portion
612 and a
third portion 614 each comprising its respective panel and outer layer 22,
22", 22".
The light source 16 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 can be distributed
amongst the
first, second and third portions 610, 612, 614 of the light-emitting traffic
sign 12. For
example, the first portion 610 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 may not
comprise
any portion of the light source 16 (i.e., is free of the light-emitters 321-
32,) but may
comprise a character such as as "pedestrian crossing" character disposed on
the
outer layer 22. As shown in Figure 28, the light source 16 may instead be
disposed
on the second and third portions 612, 614 of the light-emitting traffic sign
12. The
second and third portions 612, 614 are mounted adjacent the first portion 610
and,
28
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
more specifically, in this example they are mounted adjacent each lateral side
of the
first portion 610 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12. In other examples, as
shown in
Figure 29, the second and third portions 612, 614 may be mounted adjacent a
top
and bottom of the first portion 610 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 27, the light-emitting traffic sign 12
may
be a stroboscopic traffic sign. For instance, the light-emitting traffic sign
12 may
comprise a first portion 510 and a second portion 512 mounted adjacent to the
first
portion 510, each one of the first and second portions 510, 512 comprising a
respective panel and outer layer 22, 22'. In this example of implementation,
the light
source 16 of the light-emitting traffic sign 12 is comprised by the second
portion 512
such that the light-emitters 321-32x are disposed thereon while the first
portion 510 is
free of light-emitters. The first portion 510 may comprise a character such as
a
"pedestrian crossing" character disposed on the outer layer 22. The activation
of the
light-emitters 321-32x of the light source 16 can be controlled to display
different
patterns. For instance, in a "strobe" mode, the light-emitters 321-32x of the
light
source 16 may simultaneously emit brief repetitive flashes of light. In other
modes of
operation, the light-emitters 321-32x of the light source 16 may be activated
at
different time intervals to display a particular pattern of light (e.g., a
light that
gradually moves along a length of the second portion 512 of the light-emitting
traffic
sign 12). While the stroboscopic traffic sign 12 has been described here as
comprising two separate portions, in other examples, the stroboscopic traffic
sign 12
may comprise a single panel 20 and outer layer 22.
In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 25, the light-emitting traffic sign 12
may
be a traffic light, i.e., a traffic signal or "semaphore", for directing
traffic (e.g., at an
intersection). The information conveyed by the light source 16 of the traffic
light 12
includes commands to drivers of vehicles to perform actions (e.g., stop,
advance,
turn, etc.). For instance, the light source 16 may comprise a plurality of
subsets 410,
412, 414, 416 of the light-emitters 321-32x, each one of the subsets 410, 412,
414,
416 of the light-emitters 321-32x conveying particular information to an
onlooker
when illuminated. This may be achieved by assigning a different color and/or
29
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
configuration to the light-emitters 321-32x of each subset. For example, the
first
subset 410 of the light-emitters 321-32x may be made up of red light-emitters,
the
second subset 412 of the light-emitters 321-32x may be made up of yellow light-
emitters, the third subset 414 of the light-emitters 321-32x may be made up of
green
light-emitters, and the fourth subset 416 of the light-emitters 321-32x may be
configured to form a directional symbol (e.g., an arrow). The traffic light 12
may thus
convey to a driver whether he/she may advance, slow down, stop or turn by
illuminating one or more of the subsets 410, 412, 414, 416 of the light-
emitters 32i-
32x in accordance with the established meaning of the color and/or symbol of
each
subset of the light-emitters 321-32x. As shown in Figure 26, the traffic light
12 may
also comprise a covering member 420 adjacent a respective one of the subsets
410,
412, 414, 416 of the light-emitters 321-32x for providing shade to each of the
subsets
410, 412, 414, 416 of the light-emitters 321-32x. This may improve visibility
of the
light emitted by the light-emitters 321-32x. Furthermore, in this example, the
traffic
light 12 is not connected to the external device 14 described above. For
instance,
the traffic light 12 may be connected to a traffic light controller that
supplies power
(e.g., from a conventional electrical power grid) to and controls the light
source 16
(e.g., illumination of the subsets of the light-emitters 321-32x). Such
traffic light
controllers are known in the art and will therefore not be described further
here. In
other cases, the trafflic light 12 may be connected to the external device 14
to supply
power to and/or control the light source 16 of the traffic light 12.
In other examples of implementation of the traffic light 12, other colors
and/or
symbols may be presented by the subsets of the light-emitters 321-32x (e.g.,
pedestrian crossing/no-crossing symbols). Moreover, while in this example the
traffic
light 12 is illustrated as comprising four subsets of the light-emitters 321-
32x, in other
examples the traffic light 12 may comprise more or less subsets of the light
the light-
emitters 321-32x (e.g., three subsets, five subsets).While in this embodiment
the
light-emitting sign apparatus 10 is used for traffic purposes, the light-
emitting sign
apparatus 10 may be used for any other suitable purpose in other embodiments.
For
example, in some embodiments, the light-emitting sign apparatus 10 may be used
CA 02923410 2016-03-09
for advertisement purposes such that the light-emitting sign 12 is a light-
emitting ad
for a business or other organization and/or for a product (i.e., a good or
service).
In some embodiments, any feature of any embodiment described herein may be
used in combination with any feature of any other embodiment described herein.
Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain
embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be
within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain
embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element
that
is not specifically disclosed herein.
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in
one
figure designates the same element if used in any other figures. In describing
the
embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of
description
but the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so
selected, and
it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
In case of any discrepancy, inconsistency, or other difference between terms
used
herein and terms used in any document incorporated by reference herein,
meanings
of the terms used herein are to prevail and be used.
Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose
of
describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will become
apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this
disclosure, which
is defined more particularly by the attached claims.
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