WO2003099644A1

WO2003099644A1 - Warning device

Info

Publication number: WO2003099644A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/001945
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vincent Cecil Thompson
Original assignee: Vincent Cecil Thompson
Priority date: 2002-05-23
Filing date: 2003-05-21
Publication date: 2003-12-04
Also published as: AU2003228009A1

Abstract

This invention relates to a warning device (10) for mounting on a road vehicle such as a bicycle for warning road users at night of the proximity of the vehicle when it is in motion. The warning device includes a bracket portion (12) for attachment to a wheel (14) of the vehicle. The device further includes a reflector portion (16) connected to the bracket portion. The reflector has a reflective surface (20) for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle. The device includes also a connection (18) between the bracket portion and the reflector portion for locating the reflective surface at a position spaced axially from the wheel to which the bracket portion is attached, with the reflective surface facing in a radially outward direction relative to the wheel axis.

Description

WARNING DEVICE

THIS INVENTION relates to a warning device for mounting on a road

vehicle such as a bicycle for warning road users at night of the proximity of the

vehicle when it is in motion.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a warning device

for mounting on a road vehicle such as a bicycle for warning road users at night of

the proximity of the vehicle when it is in motion, the warning device including:

a bracket portion for attachment to a wheel of the vehicle;

a reflector portion connected to the bracket portion and having a reflective

surface for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle; and

a connection between the bracket portion and the reflector portion for

locating the reflective surface at a position spaced axially from the position where

the bracket portion is attached to the wheel, with the reflective surface facing in

a radially outward direction relative to the wheel axis.

The radially outward direction may be parallel to a plane making an

angle of 88 - 92° relative to the wheel axis, eg about 90° .

The device may be of unitary or monolithic construction, the bracket

portion and reflective portion being of the same material, being integral with each

other and forming extensions of each other. Instead, the device may be of composite construction, the bracket portion and the reflective portion being of different materials.

The reflector portion may include a reflective surface layer fast with a backing strip. Advantageously, the reflector portion has a plurality of said reflective surfaces, facing in different directions.

At least one of the reflective surfaces may be flat and planar, for reflecting light intermittently in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle. In this case, in use, when the vehicle on which the device is mounted is lit, in its direction of travel, i.e. in either of its fore and aft directions, by the headlamps of another vehicle which is located in front of or, in particular, behind the reflector, said reflective surface will intermittently reflect light from said headlamps back at the other vehicle, creating the impression of a flashing light.

Advantageously, at least two of the reflective surfaces of the reflector portion are flat and planar, being at an angle to each other, for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle intermittently and at different elevations relative to the wheel axis. The device can thus, to the driver of another vehicle, create the impression of a plurality of flashing lights, at different heights. The device can also reflect light from the headlamps of the other vehicle in a direction away from the other vehicle, and light from other directions can be reflected towards the other vehicle. The reflector portion may have at least one reflective surface which is convexly curved, for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle at an elevation relative to the wheel axis which varies as the wheel rotates. The device can thus, instead or in addition to the flashing light impressions described above, create the impression to the driver of another vehicle of a light which oscillates vertically in position, at least intermittently and optionally continuously.

In this case the curved reflective surface may be curved about the wheel axis; and in addition, it may be curved about an arcuate axis which is circumferential to the wheel axis, so that it is part-spherical or part-toroidal in shape. It is expected that routine experimentation can be employed to obtain a shape for the curved reflective surface which provides a suitable impression of an oscillating light.

The bracket portion may be planar, having a plurality of passages therethrough for receiving one or more spokes of a bicycle wheel. The device may have at least one reflective surface for reflecting light axially outwardly relative to the vehicle wheel; and each reflective surface for reflecting light axially outwardly relative to the vehicle wheel may be provided on the bracket portion. Conveniently, the bracket portion may provide two opposed reflective surfaces for reflecting light in opposite axial directions relative to the vehicle wheel.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic end elevation of a warning device for warning motorists of bicycles, in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic side elevation of the warning device of

Figure 1 in the direction of II - II in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a schematic plan view of the warning device of Figure

1 ;

Figure 4 shows a schematic exploded side elevation, corresponding to Figure 2, of the warning device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 shows a schematic exploded end elevation, corresponding to Figure 1 , of the warning device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a schematic side elevation of the warning device of Figure 1 mounted on a wheel of a bicycle, the warning device being shown in

several different positions;

Figure 7 shows a schematic end elevation of the warning device and wheel of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 shows a schematic face-on view of a sheet having patterns

thereon according to which reflectors are cut out for the warning devices of Figure

1 .

Referring to the Figures 1 - 7, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a warning device in accordance with the invention, for mounting on a bicycle for warning road users at night of the proximity of the bicycle when it is in motion.

The warning device 10 includes a bracket portion generally indicated

by reference numeral 12, for attachment to spokes (not shown) of a wheel, generally indicated by reference numeral 14, (see Figures 6 and 7) of a bicycle, (also not shown).

The device 10 also includes a reflector portion, generally indicated by reference numeral 16, connected to the bracket portion 12 by means of a connection, generally indicated by reference numeral 18, between the bracket portion 12 and the reflector portion 16.

In the embodiment shown, the device 10 is of composite construction, i.e. it is made up of the bracket portion 12, the reflector portion 16 and the connection 18, which are of different materials. In variations (not shown) of the invention as illustrated, the device 10 may be of unitary or monolithic construction, with the bracket portion 12 and the reflector portion 16 being of the same material and being integral with each other to form extensions of each other, the connection therebetween being at the junction of the bracket portion 12 and reflector portion 16.

The reflector portion 16 has a plurality of reflective surfaces, generally indicated by reference numerals 20 and 21 , for reflecting light respectively in the fore and aft and in the axial directions of the bicycle. When the device 10 is mounted on the bicycle wheel 14, the connection 18 acts as a spacer and locates the plurality of reflective surfaces 20, 21 at a position spaced axially from the position where the bracket portion 12 is attached to the wheel 14, so that the reflective surfaces 20 face in a radially outward direction relative to the wheel axis 22, and are unobscured by the tyre of the wheel 14. This particular location enhances visibility of the reflective surfaces 20 when viewed in the fore and aft

directions of the bicycle.

The bracket portion 12 is in the form of a pair of opposed flat more or

less oval plates 24, 26 secured together and spaced apart by a web 28 and by ribs

30 respectively provided at a central part and close to the ends of the plates 24,

26 to define passages, which are indicated by reference numeral 32, for receiving

adjacent spokes (not shown) of the bicycle wheel 14.

The reflector portion 1 6 includes a backing strip 34 and a reflective

surface layer 36 fast with the backing strip 34. The backing strip 34 and the

surface layer 36 are not shown as individual parts in the drawings. The backing

strip 34 is in the form of a malleable metal strip providing two flat and planar panels

38, 40 at an angle to each other. When the device 1 0 is viewed in side elevation

(Figure 2), the panels 38, 40 together with an arcuately shaped part of the backing

strip 34 interconnecting the panels 38, 40, provide the backing strip 34 with a

generally V- or arrowhead-shaped outline.

The reflector portion 1 6 further includes a side wall 42 formed of

flanges extending respectively along edges of the panels 38, 40 remote from the

bracket portion 1 2. In Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings, the side wall 42 is shown

as protruding normally from the edges of the panels 38, 40 , so that an included

angle defined between the side wall 42 and the panels 38, 40 is a right angle.

Advantageously, although not shown as such in the drawings, the included angle defined between the side wall 42 and the panels 38, 40 is an angle of 135°. The reason for this particular angle will become more apparent hereinafter. The reflector portion 16 also includes a lug 44 (Figure 4) protruding, at the intersection of the panels 38, 40 from operatively inner edges of the panels 38, 40, where they intersect adjacent the bracket portion 12, the lug 44 being flat and parallel to the plates 24, 26 and being provided, at a free end thereof, with apertures 68, 70 (Figure 8) for securing of the reflector portion 16 to the connection 18, the securing being described in more detail hereinafter.

The backing strip 34 and its reflective surface layer 36 are cut out or stamped from a metal sheet having a reflective surface adhesively secured thereto (see Figure 8).

The connection 18 is in the form of a circular-cylindrical spacer 46 having an axial passage 48 therethrough. In the assembled state of the warning device 10 the passage 48 is in register with an aperture 50 extending through the bracket portion 12 and is in register with one of the apertures 68, 70 provided in the lug 44, with a bolt 52 (omitted in Figure 2) bolted through the passage 48 and the apertures 50 and 68,70. The bolt 52 receives a washer 56 and a nut 54 to secure the bracket portion 12, the spacer 46, and the reflector portion 16 together.

In further variations (not shown) of the invention as illustrated, the bolt

52, the nut 54, and the washer 56 may be replaced by a rivet securing the bracket portion 12, the reflector portion 16, and the connection 18 together. In a still further variation of the invention as illustrated, the bracket portion 1 2, the reflector portion 1 6, and the connection 18, may be adhesively secured together.

The connection 1 8 thus spaces the reflector portion 1 6 in a direction

axially to the wheel 14 from the bracket portion 1 2 when the bracket portion 1 2 is attached to the wheel 14, to enhance visibility of the reflector portion 1 6 when

seen from the fore and aft directions of the bicycle.

In Figure 8, part of a malleable metal sheet having a reflective surface

layer adhesively secured to one side thereof is designated generally by reference

numeral 62. in Figure 8, part of the outer periphery of the sheet is shown at 64

and the outlines of strips to be cut or punched from the sheet 62 are indicated in

solid lines, with some of the proposed folds of the strips indicated by broken lines.

Each strip has an elongated rectangular body 66 from one long edge of which a lug

44, as hereinbefore described, projects. It is to be appreciated that the rectangular

body 66, when shaped appropriately, provides the panels 38, 40 and the side wall

42. The lug 44 provides an opening 68 for receiving the bolt 52 which bolts the lug

44 to the spacer 46, when the various portions of the device 10 are secured

together. The lug 44 has, in addition to the opening 68, a further opening 70 to

allow the lug 44 to be connected to the bracket portion 1 2 by two bolts and their

respective nuts if desired, if two spacers 46 are to be employed. The lug 44 is

bent to extend transversely to the body 66 and the lug 44 is bolted to the side of

the spacer 46 opposite the bracket portion 1 2, by the bolt 52 and its associated

nut 54 and washer 56. The body 66 may have material removed therefrom, prior to folding, to facilitate the folding.

The reflective surfaces 20 are thus provided by two flat and planar surfaces 80, 82, respectively provided by the reflective surface layer secured to the panels 38, 40, and the reflective surface 21 is provided by the reflective surface 84 secured to the side wall 42. If desired the metal sheet 62 may instead have two reflective layers adhesively secured respectively to opposite sides thereof.

In further variations (not shown) of the invention as illustrated, some of the reflective surfaces 20, 21 may be of different colours.

In a still further variation of the invention as illustrated, the reflector portion 16 may be curved in shape so as to form an arcuately curved part- cylindrical reflective surface (corresponding to the surfaces 20)and a part- annular reflective surface (corresponding to the surface 21 ). In this variation, the part cylindrical reflective surface may have a plurality of lateral bands extending across it, parallel to the axis about which it is curved, at least some of the bands having different colours, so as to create the impression, when the reflector portion is lit by the headlamps of another vehicle, of a kaleidoscope of flashing lights of different colours, to the driver of the following vehicle, as the wheel rotates. In principle, the part- annular surface can, if desired, be similarly striped.

In a yet further variation the reflector portion 16 may have a reflective surface corresponding to the surface 20, which is convex and at least part-spherical or at least part-toroidal in shape.

In use, when the bicycle on which the device 10 is mounted is lit, in its fore and aft direction of travel, by the headlamps of another road vehicle which

is located in front of or, in particular, behind the bicycle, the reflective surfaces 80, 82 will each intermittently reflect light from the headlamps back at the other

vehicle, in a plane at least roughly normal to the axis 22, respectively creating the

impression of flashing lights at different elevations relative to the axis 22, thus

warning motorists of the proximity of the bicycle. In the version where the

reflector portion 1 6 is curved, its curved reflective surface creates the impression

of an upwardly and downwardly oscillating light. In this regard it is to be

appreciated, that the reflective surfaces need not necessarily direct a light shone

from a particular vehicle back to that vehicle, but can also direct light shone from

other vehicles back to a vehicle following the bicycle.

The bracket portion 1 2 also has reflective surfaces 58, 60 respectively

provided on operatively outer faces of the plates 24, 26 for reflecting light in

opposite directions parallel to the wheel axis 22.

As can be seen from Figures 6 and 7, in which a single device 10 is

mounted on the wheel 14, the device 10 has at least two positions at two levels

or elevations in which the surfaces 80, 82 reflect light rearwardly back at a

following road vehicle whose headlamps illuminate the device 10 from behind. The reflective outer surfaces 58, 60 provided on the bracket portion 12 together with the reflective surface 84 provided on the side wall 42 of the reflector portion 16 can also reflect light axially relative to the wheel 14 as shown by the arrows in

Figure 7, indicating reflection to one side of the wheel 18 only.

It is to be appreciated that when the included angle between the side wall 42 and the panels 38, 40 is 135°, the reflective surface 84 provided on the side wall 42 can intermittently reflect light shone on it from a direction axial relative to the wheel 14 in either a fore or aft direction of the bicycle, depending on the position of the device 10. Likewise, the reflective surface 84 can intermittently reflect light shone thereon from a fore or aft direction of the bicycle in a direction axially relative to the wheel 14.

Furthermore, if the reflective portion 16 is made from malleable metal sheet having two reflective surface layers respectively on opposite sides thereof, the device will have four positions in which it can reflect light rearwardly, from opposite sides of the panels 38, 40 (as illustrated in Figure 6 - see arrows); and the side wall 42 will be able to reflect light in opposite directions axially relative to the wheel 18.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A warning device for mounting on a road vehicle such as a bicycle for warning road users at night of the proximity of the vehicle when it is in motion, the warning device including: a bracket portion for attachment to a wheel of the vehicle; a reflector portion connected to the bracket portion and having a reflective surface for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle; and

a connection between the bracket portion and the reflector portion for locating the reflective surface at a position spaced axially from the position where the bracket portion is attached to the wheel, with the reflective surface facing in a radially outward direction relative to the wheel axis.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the radially outward direction is parallel to a plane making an angle of 88 - 92° relative to the wheel axis.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, which is of unitary or monolithic construction, the bracket portion and reflective portion being of the same material, being integral with each other and forming extensions of each other.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, which is of composite construction, the bracket portion and the reflective portion being of different materials.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the reflector portion includes a reflective surface layer fast with a backing strip.

6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the reflector portion has a plurality of said reflective surfaces, facing in different directions.

7. A device as claimed in Claim 6, in which at least one of the reflective surfaces is flat and planar, for reflecting light intermittently in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7, in which at least two of the reflective surfaces of the reflector portion are flat and planar, being at an angle to each other, for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle intermittently and at different elevations relative to the wheel axis.

9. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the reflector portion has at least one reflective surface which is convexly curved, for reflecting light in the fore and aft directions of the vehicle at an elevation relative to the

wheel axis which varies as the wheel rotates.

10. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the bracket portion is planar, having a plurality of passages therethrough for receiving one or more spokes of a bicycle wheel.

1 1 . A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which has at least

one reflective surface for reflecting light axially outwardly relative to the vehicle

wheel.

1 2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 1 , in which each reflective surface for

reflecting light axially outwardly relative to the vehicle wheel is provided on the

bracket portion.

13. A warning device as claimed in Claim 1 , substantially as herein described and

illustrated.