WO2009010060A1

WO2009010060A1 - A light emitting device using a woven fabric, a pole unit, and a system for using such

Info

Publication number: WO2009010060A1
Application number: PCT/DK2008/000262
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lyngså A/S Tl; Torben Laustsen
Original assignee: LKF VEJMARKERING AS
Current assignee: LKF VEJMARKERING AS
Priority date: 2007-07-13
Filing date: 2008-07-11
Publication date: 2009-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-13
Also published as: EP2171507A1; WO2009010060A8

Abstract

In order to avoid accidents and signal approaching traffic a light emitting device (1) comprising a layer of flexible polymer (5), four light emitting units (4), a woven fabric of programmable optical fibres (7), a wireless communication interface, and a rechargeable power source (2, 3) is provided. The woven fabric may have an OLED coating (10), which are controlled by a controller. The light emitting device (1) may further have sensors incorporated and is in communication with a pole unit (14). The pole unit (14) comprises a rechargeable power source (16), a camera, an infrared detector, a SMS/MMS module, and an image processor with memory. The pole unit (14) further transmits and receives messages from a central server, which are processed and transmitted to the light emitting devices (1). A remote control can be used to operate the light emitting device (1) and the pole unit (14).

Description

A LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE USING A WOVEN FABRIC, A POLE UNIT AND A SYSTEM FOR USING SUCH

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a light emitting device for signalling road users comprising a protective layer, a light emitting unit, a wireless communication interface, and a power source.

The invention relates to a pole unit for signalling road users comprising a pole bar, a power source, a processor with memory, sensors, and a communication interface.

The invention also relates to a system for signalling road users comprising multiple light emitting devices and multiple pole units in wireless communication with each other.

The prior art

A known solution for signalling road users regarding construction sites, accidents, and other events is the use of pulsating light along with reflective signs. When an accident has happened small portable reflecting signs and/or small portable light emitting devices can be used to mark the lane. Furthermore, signs along the road can also be used to pass on information to the road users, normally in the form of reflective or digital signs.

Reflective signs are difficult to see at night by the road user, which can lead to accidents, whilst these requires light to be directed on to the surface in order to be seen. Small portable light emitting devices carried by rescuers or other road users often take up a lot of space and have a short operation time. WO 01/76909 A1 describes a small portable stud intended for warning road users using pulsating coloured light emitted from three LED's located on one of the sides with reflective materials. The stud may have a rechargeable battery connected to a solar cell. The stud contains a radio transmitter, which enables the stud to be remotely operated. The height of the body makes it problematic for other road users to drive over the stud without causing damage. The height makes it problematic for snowploughs to drive over it without removing it from its location.

WO 2007/056109 A2 describes a road marker using pulsating coloured light to signal road users and comprising an elastic body, coloured LED's, and a solar cell connected to a rechargeable battery. The road marker has one or more sensors incorporated and is able to turn on the pulsating light when a captured value is higher than a predetermined threshold. An embodiment describes that the road marker can be placed in a recess in order to compensate for rather high height.

A more and more occurring event is ghost riders, who provide a dangerous situation for other road users. This event requires that oncoming traffic is alerted some time in advance in order to avoid any accidents. Digital signs placed along some parts of busy roads can alert road users of upcoming queuing and other factors like ice on the surface.

A dangerous situation also occurs when large vehicles, e.g. lorries, are making a right turn, in which case they are likely not to become aware of any approaching "soft" road user on their right side.

None of these systems provides an effective way of signalling oncoming traffic of sudden dangers. EP 0992965 A2 describes a pole unit comprising radars, infrared sensors, a communication interface, and a display for signalling oncoming road users. The pole unit is able to detect accidents, construction sites, or other dangerous situations and generate a warning message on the display. The pole unit can transmit captured data to a remote central, e.g. the police, which then transmits a data message to road users. This pole unit is however not able to mark up the lanes in order to guide the road users through the dangerous situation.

WO 2005/107376 A2 describes a permanent road stud using coloured LED's to emit light to mark up the lanes or signal a potentially dangerous situation. The road stud converts vibration energy into electric power, which powers the electric components. The road stud has built-in sensors for detecting the road condition, which is used to generate a light emitting warning signal. The road stud has a communication unit, which can transmit a warning signal to road users. This road stud is not able to detect road users creating a dangerous situation nor can it be moved to mark up temporary lanes.

None of these systems describes a substantially flat portable light emitting device with a very flexible body capable of adapting to the surface on which it has been placed and enabling road users to drive over it without causing damage.

Flexible and small light emitting devices can be manufactured using an OLED material applied to a foil, where the light emitting areas are controlled by a controller. However these foils are rather limited in their flexibility.

US 2003/0211797 A1 describes a functional yarn comprising multiple LED's and conductive tracks weaved into a non-conductive yarn, thus creating a woven fabric capable of emitting light, which is controlled by a controller. The functional yarn can include coating for protection of the electric circuit. The functional yarn may include OLED's or electrophoretic materials. The device does not disclose the use of optical fibres as light emitters.

WO 2005/086128 A1 describes a woven fabric of fibres with an electro- optical material and fibres of conductive material capable of emitting coloured light. The electro-optic fibres can emit coloured light according to a differential voltage applied between two crossing conductive fibres. The device has no mentioning of a coating applied to the woven fabric.

WO 99/48124 A1 describes a woven fabric of fibres including conductive elements and a light emitting coating. The fibres can emit coloured light when a voltage differential is applied between two crossing conductive elements. A reflective layer can be placed on the backside of the woven fabric. The woven fabric may have a structural supporting layer of transparent polymer placed at the front or back. The device does not disclose the use of optical fibres as light emitters.

None of these devices describes a woven fabric with optical fibres and a coating that are able to emit an evenly distributed light over a light emitting surface.

The object of the invention

The invention solves these problems by providing a light emitting device having a protective layer of flexible polymer, a woven fabric of programmable optical fibres, a wireless communication interface, and a rechargeable power source. This enables the light emitting device to be flat with a low height, very flexible, and able to emit light from the sides.

A first embodiment of the light emitting device comprises a woven fabric having an OLED coating, which can be controlled via multiple power lines. This enables the light emitting device to have an evenly light distribution over the entire light emitting surface.

A second embodiment of the light emitting device comprises a coating containing a fluorescent material, which can be charged by the incoming light or the light emitted from the woven fabric. This enables the light emitting device to direct the emitted light into a desired direction and increase the light intensity in this direction.

A third embodiment of the light emitting device comprises power source having a photovoltaic charging a rechargeable battery, which powers the electronic components. This enables the light emitting device to be self powered, thus eliminating the need for an interchangeable power source, and prolongs the operation time.

A fourth embodiment of the light emitting device comprises a reflective material applied to the backside of the woven fabric or a woven fabric of electronic lines, which is connected to the OLED coating. Like the third embodiment this will enable the light emitting device to direct light into a desired direction.

A fifth embodiment of the light emitting device comprises a wireless communication interface comprising a transceiver and a GSM module with memory. This enables the light emitting device to be activated from a distance and operated according to detected events.

The invention solves the described problems by providing a pole unit comprising a photovoltaic, a rechargeable battery, a camera, an infrared detector, and an SMS/MMS module. This enables the pole unit to be self powered and capable of detecting predetermined events. In addition to the communication with a light emitting device the SMS/MMS module in the pole unit transmits and receives data to and from a central server. This enables the pole unit to be controlled by a central server.

The pole unit further comprises an image processor analysing the captured images from the camera and the infrared detector, which are stored in a memory. This enables the pole unit to detect road users or other objects creating a dangerous situation.

The invention also describes a system solving the mentioned problems by proving a light emitting device and a pole unit as described above, where a remote control is able to activate and deactivate the light emitting device and the pole unit.

The drawings

The embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows the light emitting device according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows the main components of the light emitting device shown in

Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the woven fabric,

Fig. 4 shows the woven fabric with woven-in power lines, Fig. 5 shows the OLED coating divided into designated areas,

Fig. 6 shows the pole unit according to the invention,

Fig. 7 shows some of the components of the pole unit shown in Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 shows a system comprising a light emitting device and a pole unit.

Description of exemplary embodiments

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the light emitting device 1 , which can be described more in detail with reference to figure 2. The light emitting device can be used to mark up lanes of traffic in the event of an accident, a construction site, or other events, by emitting pulsating light in a desired direction up to 200m. The light emitting device can also be used to warn oncoming road users of possible dangerous situations ahead, thus giving the road users time to take necessary action.

Multiple light emitting devices can be used to mark up a certain area, e.g. a landing area for a helicopter in the event of an accident. The light emitting device can also be used by the military to signal other military units. In the event of oil spills located on water, the light emitting devices can be dropped around the oil spill, where they can signal approaching ships.

Since the light emitting device 1 can be placed on the road surface, it requires a substantially flat body with a strong construction, which will protect the light emitting device and the electric components in the event of a road user driving over the light emitting device 1. The light emitting device 1 has a square shape with a light emitting unit 4 placed at each side, thus directing light into four different directions. The electric components controlling the operation of the light emitting units can be placed in the middle of the body. The height of the body is no more than 5mm, and the edges are well rounded or the area adjacent to the edge has a decreasing height towards the edge.

A more detailed view of components making up the light emitting device 1 can be seen in figure 2. Figure 2 show the main parts which make up the light emitting device 1 ; a power source 2, 3, light emitting units 4, a protective layer 5, and an electric circuit (not shown). The electric circuit comprises an interface, a processor with memory, a code generator. The light emitting device may comprise other components than the components described above.

The protective layer 5 can be an encapsulating material, e.g. polymer, in which all the electronic components are embedded, or a protective coating 6 applied to the light emitting unit. A preferred embodiment of the invention has the light emitting units and electronic components embedded in a flexible transparent polymer, thus enabling the light emitting device to adapt to any vertical or horizontal surface to which it is applied.

The light emitting unit 4 comprises a woven fabric of optical fibres and non- conductive yarn, which reduces the height of the light emitting device 1 , thus giving the light emitting device 1 more flexibility and a reduced body volume. As shown in figure 3, the woven fabric can be made of programmable optical fibres 7 woven together with threads 8, 9 of different materials. The woven fabric may be woven differently in different areas, thus ensuring an individual control of each area. The woven fabric comprises optical fibres with different colours, preferably red, green, and blue. Each optical fibre 7 is connected to multiple light sources (not shown) at the end, which transmit light into the optical fibres, which are controlled by a controller (not shown). The woven fabric of optical fibres has undergone a manufacturing process, which enables the optical fibres to emit an evenly distributed light over the light emitting surface. A further description of the woven fabric can be found in PCT/DK03/00893.

The woven fabric may have OLED coating 10 applied to the top surface for added colour control. The OLED coating 10 can be separated into multiple areas 10', each supplied with a set 11 of power lines 12, 13 as shown in figure 5. The OLED coating 10 may include colours, e.g. red, green, blue, or others. A second controller (not shown) in the light emitting device 1 can individually control the emitted coloured light from each area 10' by applying power to the designated area 10'. This enables the light emitting device 1 to emit light in different patterns and colours in each area 10', thereby providing an improved control of the emitted light.

The power line set 11 can be helically wrapped around the longitudinal optical fibres as shown in figure 4, which is connected to the second controller and a designated area 10'. This enables each designated area 10' to be controlled as a diode using an anode 1 and a cathode 2.

The two controllers can control the operation of the optical fibres 7 and the OLED coating 10 in accordance with each other, or, alternatively, be controlled by a single controller. This enables the light emitting device 1 to emit coloured light patterns in any colour within the RGB spectrum and of any light intensity. The woven fabric of optical fibres 7 and the OLED coating 10 separated into designated areas 10' enable an even light distribution over the entire light emitting surface of each light emitting unit 4.

An alternative way for the second controller to control the OLED coating 10 is to apply an additional layer (not shown) of power lines to the woven fabric, e.g. as a second woven fabric.

Referring again to figure 2, the OLED coating 10 can be applied to the fabric after weaving or to each individual fibre before being woven. The coating helps keeping the optical fibres 7 spaced apart when the light emitting device 1 is flexed. The OLED coating 10 may comprise a fluorescent material (not shown), which can be charged by the incoming light or the light emitted by the optical fibres, after which it will emit light for a given time period, thus increasing the light intensity transmitted from the light emitting surface. The fluorescent material may also provide a way to direct light from the light emitting device 1 into a desired direction.

Directing light from the light emitting device into a desired direction is also done by a reflective metal layer (not shown) applied to the backside of the woven fabric. This enables the light emitting unit 1 to direct the light into the desired direction.

The power source comprises a photovoltaic 2, which covers a substantial part of the upper surface of the light emitting device 1 , connected to a rechargeable battery 3. The battery 3 provides power to the electronic components by a set of power lines (not shown). This enables the light emitting device 1 to be self powered which will increase operation time substantially and eliminate the need for any external connections.

The interface (not shown) is a wireless communication interface comprising a transceiver and a GSM module with code generator for communicating with an external control unit, e.g. a pole unit 14 as shown in figure 6. The GSM module is used to generate and transmit uniquely identifiable data messages, which contains information about the status and registered events, and receives command messages from the external control unit. The command messages can contain parameters, e.g. frequency, duty cycle, intensity, light pattern, for setting the desired light. This enables the light emitting device 1 to be operated from a distance and to set the emitted pulsating light according to a detected event.

The light emitting device 1 may further comprising a number of different sensors, in particular a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, connected to a processor (not shown) and a memory (not shown). The sensed data can be compared to a threshold in order to determine whether or not the light emitting device 1 should be activated. Figure 7 shows the pole unit 14 shown in figure 6 comprises a pole bar 15, a power source (not shown), an electric circuit 17, and a communication interface 18. The power source comprises a photovoltaic 16 connected to a rechargeable battery (not shown), thus enabling the pole unit 14 to be self powered and to have a longer operation time.

One end of the pole bar 15 is placed in the ground and the other end forms a platform for the electric circuit 17. The platform comprises a bottom 19, a glass cover 20, and a top 21. The electric circuit 17 is located at a distance from the ground so that its sensors and cameras are able to detect and record events at a certain distance.

The pole unit 14 contains various sensors (not shown), e.g. a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and other weather sensors. The sensed data is stored in a memory (not shown) and later analysed by a processor (not shown). The sensed data, which are stored or received from the light emitting devices 1 , are transmitted to the comparator and compared to predetermined thresholds representing different events.

The pole unit 14 also includes a 2D or 3D camera and infrared detectors for capturing images of a designated area. The captured images are stored in the memory and analysed by an analysis unit (not shown). The memory contains an executable program for controlling the operation of the pole unit. The analysis unit extracts detectable features from the captured images and transmits them to a comparator (not shown), which compares the features to predetermined features stored in an event table (not shown).

If the comparator determines that an event is detected, a proper command message is generated and transmitted to the light emitting devices 1 , which then start emitting light according to the settings received with the command message. This enables the pole unit 14 to detect multiple events, e.g. weather situations, rush hour, slippery surface, or dangerous road users.

The pole unit 14 may additionally be configured to detect and count road users, read license plates, distinguish animals from road users, or determine the speed of any road user.

The light emitting devices 1 and the pole unit 14 can be placed at an intersection. The image processor can then be configured to recognize large vehicles making a right turn while "soft" road users are approaching to the vehicles side. The pole unit 14 then activates the light emitting devices 1 to warn the driver, thus avoiding an accident.

The communication interface 18 comprises a transceiver (not shown) and an SMS/MMS module (not shown), which also transmits messages and registered events to a central server (not shown). The communication interface 18 receives information from the light emitting device 1 , and stores them in the memory for analysis. The SMS/MMS module generates a message containing captured data and transmits it to the central server. The central server can then return a command message to the pole unit 14. The communication interface 18 receives the generated command message, generates another command message, and sends it to the light emitting devices 1 , after which they are activated. This enables the light emitting devices 1 to be operated and controlled from a central server.

Figure 8 shows a system comprising multiple light emitting devices 1 in communication with a pole unit 14. The pole unit 14 is located at the shoulder 23 where it is able to monitor a designated road area. The light emitting devices 1 are placed on the road 22 between the road markings, thus enabling the light emitting devices 1 to be perceived as a part of the road markings. The light emitting devices 1 and the pole unit 14 monitor the road conditions and situation, and the light emitting devices 1 start emitting a pulsating coloured light based on a request transmitted from the pole unit 14. A remote control (not shown) may activate and deactivate the light emitting device and the pole unit from a distance, e.g. by rescuers at an accident.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A light emitting device (1) for signalling road users comprising a protective layer (5), a light emitting unit (4), a wireless communication interface, and a power source (2, 3), characterised in that the light emitting device (1 ) comprises a protective layer (5) of flexible polymer and a light emitting unit of a woven fabric of programmable optical fibres (7).

2. A light emitting device (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterised in that the woven fabric comprises an OLED coating (10), which can be controlled via multiple power lines (12, 13).

3. A light emitting device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the OLED coating (10) comprises a fluorescent material, which can be charged by incoming light or light emitted from the optical fibres (7).

4. A light emitting device according to claim 3, characterised in that a reflective material is applied to the backside of the woven fabric or a woven fabric of electronic lines, which is connected to the OLED coating.

5. A light emitting device (1 ) according to claim 4, characterised in that the power source (2, 3) comprises a photovoltaic (2) charging a rechargeable battery (3), which powers the electronic components.

6. A light emitting device (1 ) according to claim 5, characterised in that the wireless communication interface comprises a transceiver and a GSM module with memory.

7. A pole unit (14) for signalling road users in communication with a light emitting device (1) comprising a pole bar (15), a power source, a processor with memory, sensors, and a communication interface (18), characterised in that the pole unit (14) comprises a photovoltaic (16), a rechargeable battery, a camera, an infrared detector, and an SMS/MMS module.

8. A pole unit (14) according to claim 7, characterised in that the SMS/MMS module transmits and receives data to and from a central server.

9. A pole unit (14) according to claim 8, characterised in that an image processor analyses the captured images from the camera and the infrared detector, which are stored in a memory.

10. A system for signalling road users comprising multiple light emitting devices (1 ) and multiple pole units (14) in wireless communication with each other, characterised by using a light emitting device (1 ) according to claims 1-6 and a pole unit (14) according to claims 7-9, where a remote control can activate and deactivate the light emitting devices (1 ) and the pole units (14).