Gravity Controlled Lighting Device for Road Flares
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road flare lighting devices are cumbersome, pose safety risks during deployment and retrieval, and lack automatic illumination features, making them difficult to use in adverse conditions and potentially hazardous for first responders.
Innovation Solution
A portable lighting device equipped with a gravity power controller that automatically turns on when deployed and off when stored, providing automatic illumination and reducing the time and risk associated with manual activation and deactivation, while also ensuring the light source is energized during use and extinguished during storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual deployment and retrieval procedures are used, then first responders can control the lighting device, but the process becomes time-consuming and hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device automatically activates when removed from the storage compartment and automatically deactivates when returned to storage. The gravity-activated switch mechanism enables the device to self-regulate its operational state based on its orientation, eliminating the need for manual switching operations by first responders.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting device is pre-configured with a gravity-activated switch that is primed to automatically activate the light source when the device is oriented in its operational position. This preliminary setup ensures immediate illumination upon deployment without requiring additional manual actions.
2Loss of time
If the lighting device is automatically activated upon removal from storage, then deployment time is reduced, but the device may activate unintentionally during handling
Solution Approach 1:
The gravity-activated switch is positioned and oriented within the device housing to respond only to specific angular orientations. The switch mechanism is designed with a predetermined activation angle that corresponds to the operational deployment position, ensuring activation occurs only when the device is properly positioned on the ground rather than during handling or storage.
3Reliability
If the lighting device remains illuminated during transport, then first responder visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device dynamically adjusts its operational state based on its orientation during transport versus deployment. The gravity-activated switch automatically transitions the light source between on and off states according to the device's angular position, providing illumination only when needed during ground-level deployment while conserving energy during vertical transport.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces the time and risk associated with deploying and retrieving road flares, enhances safety by providing continuous illumination for first responders, and automatically adjusts lighting based on orientation, ensuring the device is always on when needed and off when not in use, thus minimizing accidents and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a gravity power controller which automatically activates or deactivates the light source as a function of the angular orientation of the lighting device with respect to vertical
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting device having a housing incorporating an electrical circuit, a light source and a source of power with a gravity controller. The gravity controller regulates the power applied to the light source in response to the relationship between the position angle and the tilt angle of the lighting device with respect to the vertical. The lighting device has a storage orientation wherein the light source is non-energized and a transporting or use orientation wherein the light source is energized. A plurality of lighting devices are mounted on a storage bracket in a non-energized orientation. A plurality of lighting devices are mounted on a carrier having a changeable orientation, wherein the lighting devices are energized during transporting and non-energized during storage.