CA2201062A1 - A warning sign - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a warning sign capable of both emitting and reflecting light. The warning sign mainly includes a front member having luminance intensifying means and reflective panels, a middle circuit board having light-emitting diodes, and a back member having battery compartment, ON/OFF switch and power-supply plug. The reflective panels can reflect a light from an external light source and the luminance intensifying means can intensify light emitted by the light-emitting diodes to provide both passive and positive warning signals. The power-supply plug can be plugged into a cigarette igniter on a car as an alternative power source for the light-emitting diodes.

Description

r ~ 22u 1 06 A WARNING ~IGN

BAC~GROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a warning sign mainly including a front member with luminance intensifying means, a middle member with light-emitting diodes, and a back ~O member provided with switch, ~atteries, and power-supply plug.

2. Description of the Prior Art lS A conventional warning sign is usually a triangle consisting of three reflective strips. ~uch conventional warning sign h~s the following disadvantages:

a) The warning sign has little reflective e~fect when there is not or only a weak light source. A warning sign without reflective effect positioned in front of or behind a vehicle or a road construction site will only increase the chances of accidents.

b) The warning sign itself is not a light-emitting means and can only passively reflect light from an external light source. A vehicle running at high speed may not be timely warned by the reflective warning sign and fiercely collides with a broken-down ~ehicle in front of the warning sign.
c) The warning sign covered by dust shall have poor reflectivity.

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It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a warning sign which provides improved functions than the conventional warning sign.

SUMMARY OF T}IE I NVENT I ON

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved warning sign which can both emit and reflect light.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved warning sign which emits an intensified light and is therefore safer and more convenient in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved warning sign having a switch with which the warning sign can be powered either by battery or via a cigarette igniter on a car.

The warning sign according to the present invention mainly includes a front member provided with luminance intensifying means and reflective parts, a middle member provided with light-emitting diodes, and a back mem~er provided with a stand, a switch, a power-supply plug, and a battery compartment. The middle member is actually a circuit board 2~ including light-emitting diodes, forming a light source of the warning sign to produce flashes. The luminance intensifying means provided on the front member intensify the flashes produced by the light-emitting diodes on the middle member. The reflective parts of the ~ront member are panels connected to an inner periphery of the front member and coated with reflective material. The switch provided on the back member at a lower portion thereof not only 0 6 ~

functions ~s an ON/OFF switch but also as a means deciding the warning sign to be powered by batteries or via a cigarette i~niter on a car.

.The technical means, features and functions of the present invention can be best understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an assembled sectional view of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an assembled perspective of the present invention;
and ~ig. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBO~IMENT

2~ Please refer to Fig. 1 in which an exploded perspective of the present invention is shown. The present invention relates to a warning sign which mainly includes a front member 1 having.a plurality of ll~m;n~nce intensifying means 2 attached thereto, a middle member which is a circuit board 31 having a plurality of light-emitting diodes 3 connected thereto, and a back member 4 provided at a lower portion with a battery compartment 41 for accommodating batteries 44 ~ 22~1 0~

therein, a switch 43, and a power-supply plug i5. The front member 1 also has panels 11 provided to an inner periphery thereof. The panels 11 are coated with reflective material so as to reflect light from an external light source. The luminance intensifying means 2 intensify light emitted by the light-emitting diodes 3. That is, a small internal light source of the present invention can be efficiently intensified. The battery compartment 41 is usually removably covered by a cover 42, so that ~atteries 44 can be firmly positioned or replaced in the battery compartment 41.
The warning sign of the present invention can be powered by the batteries 44 or by plugging the power-supply plug 45 into a cigarette igniter on a car to get required power supply to the light-emitting diodes 3 to produce flashes.
1~ The switch 43 functions not only as an ON/OFF switch but also as a means to select either the batteries 44 or the power-supply plug 45 as a power source of the light-emitting diodes 3.

Please refer to Figs. 2 and 3 in which an assembled sectional view and an assembled perspective of the present invention are shown. From the drawings, it can be seen that the circuit board 31 and the light-emitting diodes 3 are enclosed in a space defined by the assembled front member 1 and back member 4. Thé circuit board 31 is fixedly attached to the back member 4 by means of a plurality of fixing means 46 provided in the back member 4. Each light-emitting diode 3 faces a luminance intensifying means 2, so that light emitted by the diodes 3 is intensified by the means 2 and emits out of the front member 1 to produce flashes as a warning signal. Panels 11 connected to an inner periphery of the front member 1 is coated with a layer of reflective ~- 2201 0~

material 12, so that light from an external light source shining the warning sign of the present invention can ~e reflected as a warning signal. Thus, the warning sign of the present invention effectively functions even there is not an external light source.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit of the present invention. In the circuit of the present invention, there is a voltage-stabilizing circuit 6 supplied with a direct-current 5 of 12V. Power is further supplied to a flash IC 7via the voltage-stabilizing circuit 6. Alternatively, the flash IC 7 can also be powered by four AA size batteries 44 supplying a direct-current of 3V. The flash IC 7 is provided with a switch 43 which is used to turn on or off 1~ the warning sign or to switch power supply between the batteries 44 and an external power source. And a push-pull amplifier circuit 8 is provided between the light-emitting diodes 3 and the flash IC 7.

With the above arrangements, the warning sign of the present invention eliminates the shortcomings existed in the conventional warning signs by providing both light-emitting means and light-reflective means. The warning sign of the present invention can emit light via the light-emitting means powered by batteries or an external power source, such as a cigarette igniter of a car, and can therefore, be used even there is not an external light source. The warning sign of the present invention is safer and more convenient in use than the conventional ones.

Claims (2)

1. A warning sign capable of emitting and reflecting light, comprising a front member having a plurality of luminance intensifying means attached thereto, a middle member which is a circuit board having a plurality of light-emitting diodes connected thereto, and a back member being provided at a lower portion with a battery compartment for accommodating batteries therein, a switch, and a power-supply plug; said front member also having panels provided to an inner periphery thereof, said panels being coated with reflective material so as to reflect light from an external light source, said luminance intensifying means intensifying light emitted from said light-emitting diodes, said light-emitting diodes being powered either by said batteries or by plugging said power-supply plug into a cigarette igniter on a car, and said switch functioning as an ON/OFF switch.

2. A warning sign as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch is used to select either said batteries or said power-supply plug as a power source of said light-emitting diodes for said light-emitting diodes to produce flashes.