Lighted Sign

Abstract

The present invention provides lighted signs and in particular electronic signs having embedded or integral light sources and in particular to lighted signs that have field replaceable lights and field replaceable face plates, and which preferably are controlled by an Internet-connected controller and which preferably includes an integral solar panel mount and an integral battery box mount, and still preferably include radios for pole-to-pole / machine-to-machine communication for synchronized control, and such products preferably having an additional network connection for Internet connectivity, such as by way of GPRS / GSM / cellular gateway functionality, WiFi, LAN, fiber optic or other network connectivity.

Description

[0001]This application claims priority on US Provisional Application Ser. No. 62731071, filed Sep. 13, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to lighted signs and in particular to electronic signs having embedded or integral light sources such as for flashing road warning signs and the like, and in particular to lighted signs that have field replaceable lights (e.g., LEDs) and field replaceable face plates (e.g., stop sign face), and which preferably is controlled by an Internet-connected controller and which preferably includes an integral solar panel mount and an integral battery box mount such that the sign assembly may be readily installed on a pole in the operative environment, and still preferably such products include radios for pole-to-pole / machine-to-machine communication for synchronized control, and such products preferably having an additional network connection for Internet connectivity, such as by way o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present invention provides improved lighted signs and electronic signs having embedded or integral light sources such as described above and below. As examples, in accordance with the present invention improved signs with LEDs embedded into a sign assembly are provided. In preferred embodiments of such signs, LEDs are mounted to a back substrate. The LEDs preferably included a plurality of LEDs in series, and more preferably include a plurality of series LEDs connected in parallel (e.g., two parallel strings of three LEDs that are connected in series). Such LEDs provide a desirable and controllable level of output intensity, with each LED being driven at less than maximum brightness so as to achieve longer life of the LEDs, with lower power consumption with the series connection, and parallel strings given a measure of redundancy in case of an LED failure removing one string from operation. With such a plurality of LEDs, PWM control preferably is provided to each LED so that all LEDs are PWM-brightness controlled at all times, enabling desirable control of both daytime and nighttime brightness.

[0009]Also in accordance with the present invention, controlling electronics are provided for such signage products, which also is adaptable and usable for a wide variety of lighting and other products. In accordance with such embodiments, a central logic or flasher board is provided (flasher, being somewhat of a nickname as many road signs utilize flashing lights to draw the attention of drivers or pedestrians to improve safety and the like), and preferably a variety of radio and other communication modules are provided. Such modular connectivity can allow, for example, 2.4 GHz radios that can enable pole-to-pole (or machine-to-machine) connectivity, while one system also can include Internet connectivity which may be by way of a GPRS / GSM / cellular module (or other network connectivity function, as disclosed elsewhere herein). Such a system preferably provides a gateway to the Internet / cloud, and via 2.4 GHz (or other radio band) radios the various devices that are “bound” via the radios may be controlled via an Internet / cloud connection, and also may be monitored via an Internet / cloud connection. Preferably, a portal is provided so that a variety and large number of such devices can be controlled via a common portal, such as a city worker monitoring and controlling a variety of signage and lighting products via the common portal. Preferably the worker may view logs of activities (such as pedestrian crosswalk trigger and light on / light off events), and also view status information regarding batteries, solar panels, LED / light status, etc., and also can set schedules such as for school crossing zones and the like. The portal may conveniently access and control a large number of devices (end nodes), provided that each has access to a gateway providing access to the cloud server, which hosts control and status information for each device. Also, preferably a graphical user interface is provided by the portal so that devices can be viewed on a map (such as signs shown on a map corresponding to their actual physical location in a city), and also a graphical tree or similar representation for binding nodes and a gateway such as in a crosswalk application (so that one button push on one pole triggers lights on a plurality of poles that are “bound” together. Via the cloud, users may receive alerts and alarms based on the status of devices in the network.

[0011]It is yet another object of the present invention to provide improved lighted sign products having a replaceable front indicia surface that may be readily removed from the back substrate, preferably by grommet removal, and preferably with grommets having secure retention features but which may be readily removed for front face replacement.

[0013]It is yet further an object of the present invention to provide such products having a back substrate that may provide a rigid back structure such that a solar panel mount may be secured to the back substrate such as with bolts and / or such that a battery or electronic control box may be secured to the back substrate, such that an entire solar powered lighted sign assembly may be readily installed and mounted to a pole.

Problems solved by technology

There are limitations of existing systems, and there is a growing need for more advanced signage and lighting products.

Such products typically have the back ends of LEDs and / or wiring protruding through the back side of the sign face such that wiring for a plurality of LEDs may be routed to a power source / control electronics, which may be by way of a tube or conduit that go around the periphery of the back side of the sign, which may be unsightly or provide areas for water intrusion or vandalism, and which typically means that a solar panel mount or control box must located in some other location.

Typically, with such products, field replacement of sign faces and / or LEDs is difficult if not next to impossible.

Also, installation of such products is more difficult because separate provision must be made for installation of a box or container for housing electronics and one or more batteries, and for mounting a solar panel (in the case of a DC powered, solar system) or a power supply for an AC powered system.

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