Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LUMINESCENT PLANAR SHEET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to indicia that can be affixed on top of
the horizontal
planar surfaces of emergency response vehicles such as fire department
vehicles, police cars
and ambulances to provide visibility from above.
[002] Most conventional emergency response vehicles provide audible alert
warnings and visual
alert warnings such as sequenced flashing of head, tail and side light
assemblies, or a roof mounted
light bar containing at least one light source designed to disburse light in
360 degrees. These
lights may be solid, stroboscopic, revolving, flashing, modulated, pulsing,
oscillating, alternating,
or any combination thereof Thus, these light systems are designed primarily
for viewing from
the front, rear, or side of emergency response vehicles.
[003] While in most situations, any of the aforementioned devices would
suffice in alerting a
passerby of the presence of the emergency response vehicle, there are crucial
situations in which
greater visibility is required. For example, in the case of vehicular
pursuits, helicopter units are
often called for service to help ground units observe and track pursuits as
well as ensure public
safety while in pursuit. Helicopters provide valuable service to law
enforcement in general and,
more particularly, to the pursuit function. Helicopter units can assist ground
units as a platform
from which to observe, track and illuminate people or places on the ground.
Moreover, the
helicopter units serve as backup to ground units, and the helicopter flight
crews can provide a
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perspective that cannot be achieved on the ground. Further, they can
communicate with ground
units and provide information to direct them toward an intended position or
away from a
dangerous one. In addition, the helicopter units can provide crucial
information, such as
reporting whether or not suspects are carrying weapons, etc.
[004] There is a need for a system to assist helicopter units in
distinguishing ground units and
their positioning. Currently, many police vehicles already have numerals
illustrated on top of
their roofs. These numerals are used to differentiate a police vehicle from
other vehicles and to
help identify the police district, the unit, and the individual. However,
typically, these numerals
are in plain black text and are not illuminated. Therefore, when there is
little or no light, it can be
difficult to distinguish the numbers on top of a police vehicle.
[005] Moreover, even if vehicles were provided with illuminated indicia, it is
difficult to
maintain consistent illumination as letters and numbers have different surface
areas, and thus
would have different power requirements to provide consistent illumination.
[006] Therefore, there is a need for better identification of emergency
response vehicles for
being seen from above.
[007] Furthermore, there is a need for improved power and switching systems to
provide 5
consistent illumination to illuminated indicia upon emergency response
vehicles.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[008] The present invention is directed to an illuminating alphanumeric
lighting system for
emergency response vehicles that is able to enhance the visibility of
emergency response
vehicles to those in the air, such as in helicopters.
[009] The illuminated lighting system provides indicia, in the form of
illuminated letters or
numerals, on the top of the substantially planar surfaces of emergency
response vehicles, such as
upon the vehicle hoods, cabins and trunks. The size of the indicia may vary
depending upon the
purpose of the lighting system, and the size of the horizontal surface upon
which the indicia is
placed. However, preferred letters and numerals have a length greater than one
(1) foot and a
width greater than one-half (112) foot. More preferably, the letters and
numbers have a length of
one (1) to five (5) feet and a width of one-half (112) foot to two (2) feet.
Still more preferred, the
letters and numbers have a length of approximately two (2) feet and a width of
one (1) foot.
[010] To provide illumination to the illuminated numerals, power is provided
from the vehicle's
electrical systems, such as from the vehicle's battery and alternator. The
electrical wiring and
switching system for the luminescent panels would be readily understood by
those skilled in the art
and need not be described in detail herein.
[011] The luminescent numerals and letters may be constructed in various
manners. As a first
example, the luminescent letters and numbers may be made using a light pipe,
also known as a
light guide, connected to an independent light source. The light source may be
any of various
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available lighting constructions known in the art. For example, the light
source may comprise
one or more incandescent light bulbs, light emitting diodes, light emitting
crystals, etc.
Moreover, the light source may produce light which can be selectively varied
in color so as to
enable the operator to alter the color of the luminescence. For example, the
light source may
comprise a plurality of diodes with each diode producing different colored
light. Selective
activation and deactivation of the diodes alone or in combination will produce
illumination in
different colors.
[012] The light guide may be constructed in various shapes and of various
materials such as of
lengths of acrylic plastic, polycarbonate, or glass to form the desired
letters or numerals for display
from the top of a vehicle. Alternatively, the light pipe may be constructed of
one or more fiber
optic fibers or cables. The light pipes may also be constructed of one or more
different
translucent and fluorescent colored materials for projecting light of one or
more colors. An
acceptable colored material includes "scintillating plastic" which is
typically an acrylic plastic
incorporating different colored fluorescent dyes. Preferably, the light guide
includes a reflecting
bottom layer for directing light upwardly so as to be seen from above.
[013] Where the light guide incorporates fiber optic cables, the fiber optic
cables are also
constructed to project light laterally from their cylindrical exterior as
opposed to predominantly
from their distal extremities. This can be accomplished by notching, knurling,
scratching or in
other manners creating flaws in the otherwise smooth exterior cylindrical
surface of the fiber optic
cable. These flaws have been found to interrupt the transmission of light
along the length of the
fiber optic cable and to transmit light laterally from the exterior surface of
the fiber optic cable,
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typically opposite the side which has been flawed.
[014] In an additional preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
luminescent letters and
numbers are constructed of substantially planar electroluminescent (EL)
panels. A first EL
5 construction is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,045,755 issued to
Appelberg and assigned to E-Lite
Technologies, Inc. which is incorporated herein by reference. The illuminating
sheet is a split
electrode or parallel plate lamp consisting of a main body sandwiched between
first and second
conductive layers. Application of an alternating current to the planar sheet
provides a
luminescent sheet which is formed in the shape of numerals and letters.
[015] An additional preferred electroluminescent panel for producing the
luminescent letters and
numbers can be obtained from MKS, Inc. located in Bridgeton, New Jersey, USA
under the
trademark designation QuantaflexTM. The QuantaflexTM material is an
electroluminescent lamp
including luminescent phosphors embedded in the dielectric medium of a
capacitor constructed in
the form of a sheet. Electrodes, including at least one translucent electrode,
form the top and
bottom layers ofthe QuantaflexTM material. Upon application of an alternating
current to the
electrodes, the phosphors give off photons producing light in the visible
spectrum. An advantage
of the QuantaflexTM material is that the phosphors can be selectively
encapsulated between the
electrode layers ofthe luminescent sheet so as to selectively produce patterns
of light emitted from
the luminescent sheet.
[016] In still additional preferred embodiments, the luminescent numbers and
letters are
constructed of one of the rapidly developing technologies directed to Organic
Light Emitting
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Devices (OLED), Transparent Organic Light Emitting Devices (TOLED), or
Flexible Organic
Light Emitting Devices (FOLED). Descriptions of these technologies are
available to those skilled
in the art and need not be described in further detail herein.
[017] In still an additional embodiment illustrated, the luminescent letters
and numerals are
provided by a panel including dozens or hundreds of rows and columns of LEDs
or the like which
can be selectably illuminated to form a desired indicia. For this embodiment,
it is preferred that
the LEDs are connected by wires to a controllable switching system, which in
tum is connected to
a computer processor or the like. The computer processor, in tum, includes an
input device such
as a keyboard or control panel to allow controlled independent illumination of
selected LEDs to
form the desired indicia. Though more expensive and requiring more complicated
wiring and
processing capabilities to select appropriate illumination to display desired
characters, this
embodiment allows for the indicia to be rapidly changed as desired. In an
embodiment, these
LEDs may produce only infrared light not visible to the human eye and thus
only visible through
night vision goggles. This alternative method is advantageous when light is
not desirable which
might alert criminals that police are approaching.
[018] Preferably, the planar luminescent panels in the form of letters and
numbers are protected
by a protective coating in the form of a laminate sheet. Because the preferred
luminescent letters
and numerals produce light in both infrared and visible light spectrums, it is
preferred that the
protective coating allow most of these spectrums of light to pass. However, it
is preferred that the
protective coating block ultraviolet light which can be harmful to the various
electronics such as
LEDs or electroluminescent panels. In a preferred embodiment, the protective
coating blocks at
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least 60% of ultraviolet light below 350 nanometers, but allows at least 80%
of both visible and
infrared light above 450 nanometers. An even more preferred 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.
[019] Preferably, a controller in the form of a switching system or computer
processor is
provided to allow operators to control the operation of the illuminated
indicia. Even more
preferably, the switching system can selectively strobe the illuminated
indicia. In still an
additional embodiment, the switching system includes manual or automatic
variable resistors for
controlling the wattage provided to each illuminated indicia so that the
wattage may be varied
between each illuminated indicia.
[020] Advantageously, the controller can selectively control the planar light
panel to produce
infrared light above 760 nanometers, while not producing substantial visible
light below 600
nanometers so as to be substantially invisible to the human eye with the
protective coating
allowing at least 80% transmission of the infrared light through the
protective coating. Still an
additional advantage of then present invention is that the controller allows
the planer light panel to
produce only visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers, or
simultaneously
produce both visible light between 400 nanometers and 760 nanometers and
infrared light above
760 nanometers.
[021] Advantageously, the luminescent numerals and letters may be adhered
directly to the roof
or top of an emergency response vehicle. However, in an alternative
embodiment, a rectangular
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frame is provided for affixing the luminescent panels to the top of the roof
of emergency response
vehicles. In still an additional embodiment, a planar roof plate is provided
which affixes to the
vehicle manufacturer's preexisting female threads formed into the roof of the
vehicle which are
typically used for mounting a roof rack. Where the vehicle has a corrugated
roof forming a
plurality of troughs and ridges, preferably the roof plate has a top surface
that is substantially
planar and a bottom surface that includes a plurality of channels forming
elongate teeth positioned
and aligned to project into the vehicle's roofs troughs. The roof plate
engages and is affixed to the
vehicle roof with the roof plate's teeth extending into the vehicle roof
trough so as to provide better
aerodynamics and to provide better support for items mounted to the plate's
upper surface. Indicia,
antenna, or light bars may be mounted to the roof plate's top surface.
[022] Once mounted to the roof of a vehicle, the illuminated numerals and
letters are easily
visible to those in the air.
[023] Thus, it is an additional object of the invention to provide a structure
for identifying
emergency response vehicles from the air, such as by those in planes and
helicopters.
[024] Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved
vehicular external
lighting system capable of operating with a low current draw and able to be
simply integrated into
an existing vehicle's electrical system.
[025] These and other and more specific objects and advantages of the
invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description
taken in conjunction
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with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an emergency response vehicle equipped
with illuminated
indicia affixed on top of the roof;
[027] FIG. 2 is a top-exploded view of a frame possessing luminescent panels
of the present
invention;
[028] FIG. 3 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of the
present invention;
[029] FIG. 4 is a top view of a frame possessing luminescent panels of the
present invention
possessing LED's;
[030] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the present invention;
[031] FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the present invention;
[032] FIG. 7 is a top elevation view an alternative embodiment of the present
invention;
[033] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of an
electroluminescent
panel;
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[034] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of illuminated indicia in the form of four
electroluminescent
panels for identifying an emergency response vehicle;
5 [035] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of
four electroluminescent
panels for identifying an emergency response vehicle;
[036] 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
10 electroluminescent indicia and for activating and controlling the amount
of wattage provided to
infrared/thermal indicia;
[037] 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;
[038] FIG. 13 is a top plan view of illuminated indicia in the form of three
luminescent panels
affixed to a planar plate which in-tum 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;
[039] FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the luminescent panels, planar plate,
vehicle, and controller of
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FIG. 13 wherein the controller has activated and adjusted the wattage provided
to the
electroluminescent indicia;
[040] 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;
[041] 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;
[042] FIG. 17 is a simplified electrical diagram illustrating the switching
system including 20
adjustable variable resistors to adjust the wattage provided to each
infrared/thermal indicia and to
each electroluminescent indicia;
[043] FIG. 18 is atop, right, rear perspective view a second embodiment of the
vehicular roof
plate;
[044] FIG. 19 is a bottom, left, rear perspective view of the second
embodiment of the vehicle
roof plate;
[045] FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicle roof
plate;
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[046] FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the second embodiment of the vehicle
roof plate;
[047] 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;
[048] FIG. 23 is a top, right, rear perspective view a third embodiment of the
vehicular roof
plate;
[049] FIG. 24 is a top, left, front perspective view of the third embodiment
of the vehicle roof
plate;
[050] FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicle roof
plate;
[051] FIG. 26 is a bottom plan view of the third embodiment of the vehicle
roof plate; and
[052] FIG. 27 is a top perspective view illustrating the third embodiment
ofthe vehicular roof
plate supporting emergency response vehicle identification character and
affixed to the
corrugated roof of a vehicle.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[053] 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.
[054] 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.
[055] 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
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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.
[056] 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.
[057] 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
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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.
5 [058] 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
10 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
15 LEDs are employed, the switches controlling activation of the LEDs may
be controlled by a
computer processor as to form different indicia as desired.
[059] 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. Patent
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).
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[060] 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.
[061] 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.
[062] 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.
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Number Square Inches
0 117
1 68
2 110
3 98
4 107
113
6 110
7 78
8 121
9 110
[063] 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
5 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.
[064] 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
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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.
[065] 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.
[066] 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.
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[067] 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.
[068] 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.
[069] 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
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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
5 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.
[070] Currently, non-illuminated indicia are adhered directly to the roof and
trunk areas of
10 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
15 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
20 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
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male fasteners which mount to the vehicle bolt holes.
[071] 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 roofs troughs 38. The
plate teeth 37 form
channels 36 for receiving a vehicle roofs ridges 39.
[072] 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
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include channels 36 and teeth 37 for confirming with the corrugated roofs
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.
[073] 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.
[074] 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.
[075] 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
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following claims. I claim:
