Light-emitting device for bicycles

Abstract

The invention relates to a light-emitting device (1) for single-track vehicles (2), preferably bicycles, comprising: a housing component (5) which can be detachably secured to the frame of the vehicle (2) by means of a fastening device (6); and a light-emitting unit (7), the light-emitting unit (7) having at least one light source (8) and a lens system (10) which is arranged on the outer side of the light-emitting unit (7) in front of the light source (8) and by means of which the light radiation generated by the light source (8) is focussed into the form of an elongate beam-like light cone (13).

Description

[0001] LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE FOR BICYCLES

[0002] Technical environment

[0003] The invention relates to a light emitting device for single-track vehicles, preferably bicycles, for marking a minimum lateral distance with a housing component which can be releasably fixed to the frame of the vehicle by means of a fastening device and a light emitting unit.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] Light emitting devices with the features described above are usually used to improve the visibility of cyclists on their two-wheelers, whereby they are generally installed in the front and rear areas of the vehicle to emit the light forwards and backwards.

[0006] In particular, the light emitting devices installed in the front area of ​​the vehicle can also have lateral light emission areas, so that better visibility from the side is also ensured.

[0007] Thanks to modern lighting technology, today's standard light emitting devices generally meet all the requirements for good visibility, especially in the dark. With the ever-increasing number of cars and trucks on the road, the space available for single-track vehicles, and especially for bicycles, is currently shrinking, unless environmental policy considerations dictate a different distribution of the total available traffic space in the long term.

[0008] This means that, in everyday road traffic in particular, the potential for conflict between single-track and dual-track vehicles is particularly high wherever limited road space necessitates vehicles traveling close together. This creates considerable potential for conflict, particularly for users of single-track vehicles, particularly bicycles, due to the typically different speeds of the two road users when overtaking, and as a result leads to an increased risk of accidents due to insufficient distance between road users when overtaking. Statistics clearly indicate that many accidents involving cyclists are causally or indirectly due to the fact that car drivers do not maintain the 1.5 m lateral distance from the cyclist they are overtaking, which has been prescribed by law for some time.This may be due to a considerable extent to the fact that estimating the necessary distance, particularly when overtaking with oncoming traffic, is too much for the driver due to a lack of experience.

[0009] In order to clearly indicate the necessary distance to an overtaken bicycle, distance warning devices have been developed in the past. These, for example, are attached to the luggage rack and can be pivoted by 90° to the roadway using a hinge from a folded position to the bicycle in order to alert passing drivers to the necessary sufficient distance.

[0010] Such mechanical indicators are no longer feasible given the minimum distance of 1.5 m now stipulated by law. To ensure the appropriate distances and thus the lengths of the laterally projecting components, telescopic devices would have to be used, which has so far clearly proven impractical.

[0011] Object of the invention

[0012] Based on the above-described problems in the interaction between two- and four-lane vehicles, particularly during overtaking maneuvers, the object of the invention is to provide a light emitting device that easily indicates the legally required minimum distance during overtaking. The light emitting device should be universally attachable to bicycles as an accessory and have a simple and therefore cost-effective design.

[0013] Solution to the task

[0014] According to the invention, the object set for a light emitting device of the type described at the outset is achieved with the technical features mentioned in claim 1.

[0015] Essential to the invention for solving the problem of providing a light emitting device with the advantages according to the problem is that the light emitting unit has at least one light source and a lens system arranged in front of the light source towards the outside of the light emitting unit, by means of which the light radiation generated by the light source is bundled in the form of an elongated bar-shaped light cone.

[0016] The light emitting device according to the invention is arranged at a suitable location on the frame of the bicycle such that the elongated, bar-shaped light cone generated strikes the ground parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal axis at a distance of 1.5 m, thus clearly indicating to following and overtaking drivers that they should not cross the area between the bar-shaped light cone and the bicycle when overtaking in order to avoid danger. The light emitting device can be arranged either at the front or rear of the bicycle; when adjusting the light emitting device, it is only necessary to ensure that the bar-shaped light cone strikes the ground parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal axis at an appropriate distance.

[0017] Particular embodiments of the subject matter of the invention additionally result from the subclaims which refer back to claim 1.

[0018] It has proven particularly advantageous that the light source is designed as an LED lighting unit, since the LEDs commonly used today ensure sufficient light intensity while simultaneously consuming low power.

[0019] In order to use the light emitting device according to the invention on various bicycles as simply as possible, a legitimate embodiment provides for the integration of a power supply unit for the light emitting device into the housing component. The power supply unit can be connected to a charging plug, preferably in the form of a USB port, inserted into the wall of the housing component.

[0020] In addition, an electronic control unit accommodated in the housing component can be arranged to regulate the brightness of the light source depending on the ambient brightness of the light emitting device.

[0021] In addition, it is advantageous for the fastening device to consist of a holder which can be fixed to the frame of the vehicle, preferably without tools, and which is provided on its outer side facing away from the frame with a hollow-shaped longitudinal rail into which a protruding, elongated insertion projection arranged on the housing component and corresponding in its shape is a slide.

[0022] As an alternative to the elongated insertion projection, a holding part can be arranged on the outside of the housing component, which cooperates with the holder fixed to the vehicle by means of a rotationally shaped receiving part arranged on this holder.

[0023] Furthermore, a useful development of the subject matter of the invention provides that the electronic control unit has a detection system that detects when the vehicle passes through the temporary safety zone next to the single-track vehicle and generates a control pulse to a loudspeaker unit additionally incorporated in the housing component. The described additional equipment can alert a person overtaking the single-track vehicle to the failure to maintain the required legal minimum distance.

[0024] Character description

[0025] An embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention mounted on a bicycle, illustrating the effect achieved by the device according to the invention,

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of the light emitting device mounted on the bicycle in Figure 1 and

[0028] Figure 3 is a side view of the light emitting device according to the invention.

[0029] The light emitting device according to the invention, shown in Figure 1 and designated in its entirety by 1, is mounted on a bicycle in the illustrated embodiment. The bicycle typically consists of wheels and a frame 3, which in turn is provided with an upper cross tube 4 running between the saddle and handlebars. The light emitting device 1 is attached to the cross tube 4 in such a way that it can fulfill its task by emitting an elongated, bar-shaped light cone 13 in such a way that this light cone 13, viewed from the cross tube 4, is directed laterally obliquely downwards toward the ground.

[0030] When the light cone 13 hits the ground, an elongated, strip-shaped light image 14 is created there, as can be seen in Figure 1. This light image 14 is arranged such that a distance L exists between the vertical bicycle plane 20 and the light image 14. When the light emitting device 1 is correctly adjusted, this distance L is 1.5 m. This dimension corresponds to the lateral safety distance prescribed by law and to be maintained by overtaking road users from the cyclist. The light image 14 serves to inform the overtaking road user, without contact, that the corresponding legal requirement must be observed.

[0031] The schematic structure of the light-emitting device 1 is illustrated in Figure 2 using component diagrams. The individual components of the light-emitting device 1 are integrated into a housing component 5, which consists of a rectangular, trough-like housing base 11 and a housing cover 12. The housing base 11 and housing cover 12 are sealed watertight by suitable sealing measures and detachably connected to one another by screwing or a snap-in device.

[0032] On the front side of the lower housing part 11, an opening 23 is provided into which a light-emitting unit 7 is inserted. The light-emitting unit 7 essentially consists of a lens system 10, a drive unit 17 for the lens system 10, and a light source 8.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the light source 8 is designed as an LED lighting unit, as this design allows for excellent light intensity combined with low energy consumption. The light source 8 is powered by a power supply unit 15, which consists of a rechargeable battery and a standard USB charging socket (not shown in detail in the figure).

[0034] The charging of the power supply unit 15 as well as other properties of the light emitting device 1 according to the invention are monitored and controlled by an electronic control unit 16.

[0035] All of the above-mentioned components of the light emitting device 1, such as the light emitting unit 7, the power supply unit 15 and the control unit 16, together with all associated sub-elements, are mounted on a circuit board 9 arranged at the bottom of the trough-shaped housing base 11 and are electronically connected to one another.

[0036] In addition to monitoring the charge of the power supply unit 15, the control unit 16 is used to control the size and intensity of the light cone 13 as well as its color formation, whereby with regard to the color of the projected light image 14, the color red appears to be primarily suitable in order to ensure appropriate attention of overtaking road users.

[0037] As already mentioned above, the light-emitting unit 7 is constructed from a lens system 10, a light source 8, and a drive unit 17. The drive unit 17 serves to spatially displace the individual lenses of the lens system 10, allowing different widths and lengths of the light cone 13 to be realized. Of course, it is also conceivable to implement the light-emitting unit 7 using other suitable components, provided that the stated task of generating a bar-shaped, elongated light cone 13 of variable size and color is ensured.

[0038] In the illustrated embodiment, the light emitting device 1, or rather the housing component 5, is provided with a fastening device 6 on its rear side, opposite the front side provided with the opening 23 for the exit of the light cone 13. In the present embodiment, the fastening device 6 serves to releasably secure the light emitting device 1 to the upper cross tube 4 of the frame 3 of the bicycle. This attachment can be achieved in various ways.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the fastening device 6 essentially consists of two components that can be hooked together. The first component is a bracket 18, which is ring-shaped and encloses the cross tube 4. This bracket 18 is preferably secured to the cross tube 4 without the use of tools using a suitable screw connection. The bracket 18 is intended for permanent installation on the vehicle 2.

[0040] The holder 18 has a U-shaped longitudinal rail 19 on one side, which in the present embodiment is dovetail-shaped undercut. A projection 21 protruding from the housing component 5 is inserted into this longitudinal rail 19. Suitable stops ensure the reproducible end position of the housing component 5 on the holder 18. Of course, the connection of the housing component 5 to the holder 18 can also be realized by a different design of the fastening device 6. For example, a rotational locking mechanism between the components in question is also conceivable, depending on the application requirements.

[0041] Practical tests have shown that the electronic control unit 16 can be easily expanded to implement an additional warning function for the light emitting device 1 according to the invention. For this purpose, the circuit board 9 has a loudspeaker unit 22, which can be supplied with control pulses via the control unit 16.

[0042] The loudspeaker unit 22 is activated depending on the detection of an interruption of the light cone 13 by overtaking vehicles that do not maintain the required minimum distance of 1.5 m. In such a case, an acoustic signal can be emitted by the loudspeaker unit 22, depending on the cyclist's instructions.

[0043] Should the networking of vehicles participating in traffic increase in the future within the currently envisioned framework, it is also conceivable that suitable electronic measures could be used within an overtaking vehicle to automatically generate an indication that the required lateral distance to overtaken cyclists was too small. For this purpose, the electronic control unit 16 can additionally be equipped with the ability to send corresponding signals that, in conjunction with the vehicle's electronics, generate such an indication function.

[0044] List of reference symbols:

[0045] 1 light emission device

[0046] 2 vehicles

[0047] 3 frames

[0048] 4 cross tube

[0049] 5 Housing component

[0050] 6 Fastening device

[0051] 7 Light emitting unit

[0052] 8 Light source

[0053] 9 circuit board

[0054] 10 lens system

[0055] 11 Lower housing part

[0056] 12 Housing cover

[0057] 13 light cones

[0058] 14 Photograph

[0059] 15 Power supply unit

[0060] 16 Control unit

[0061] 17 Drive unit

[0062] 18 Bracket

[0063] 19 Longitudinal rail

[0064] 20 Bicycle level

[0065] 21 Insertion projection

[0066] 22 Speaker unit

[0067] 23 Breakthrough

Claims

Protection claims 1. Light emitting device (1) for single-track vehicles (2), preferably bicycles, with a housing component (5) which can be detachably attached to the frame of the vehicle (2) by means of a fastening device (6) and a light emitting unit (7), characterized in that the light emitting unit (7) has at least one light source (8) and a lens system (10) arranged in front of the light source (8) towards the outside of the light emitting unit (7), by means of which lens system the light radiation generated by the light source (8) is bundled in the form of an elongated bar-shaped light cone (13).

2. Light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light source (8) is designed as an LED lighting unit.

3. Light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a power supply unit (15) for the light emitting device (1) is integrated in the housing component (5).

4. Light emitting device according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an electronic control unit (16) for regulating the brightness of the light source (8) as a function of the ambient brightness of the light emitting device (1) is arranged in the housing component (5).

5. Light emitting device according to claim 4, characterized in that the electronic control unit (16) has a control module for changing the length and width of the bar-shaped light cone (13) emerging through the light emitting unit (7), wherein the control module is connected to a drive unit (17) which enables a spatial change of the lens assemblies arranged within the lens system (10).

6. Light emitting device according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fastening device (6) consists of a holder (18) which can be fixed to the frame (3) of the vehicle, preferably without tools, and which is provided on its outer side facing away from the frame (3) with a hollow-shaped longitudinal rail (19) into which a protruding, elongated insertion projection (21) arranged on the housing component (5) and corresponding in its shape can be inserted.

7. Light emitting device according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fastening device (6) consists of a holder (18) which can be fixed to the frame (3) of the vehicle, preferably without tools, and which is provided on its outer side facing away from the frame (3) with a rotationally shaped receiving part into which a component (5) arranged corresponding holding part can be clipped in by a snap device.

8. Light emitting device according to claim 2, characterized in that the LED lighting unit by means of a control module various can emit colors.

9. Light emitting device according to one or more of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a loudspeaker unit (22) is integrated in the housing component (5), which loudspeaker unit can be supplied with control pulses via the electronic control unit (16).

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