Portable Warning Light System

This invention relates to warning light systems adapted for use in traffic control; and more particularly relates to a novel and improved portable runway marker apparatus to serve as a visual warning to pilots of a closed runway or taxiway.

Warning or signal light systems are in widespread use for various applications and particularly as traffic control devices to warn of hazardous road conditions. Similarly, visual warning system for aircraft traffic control are in demand and are particularly critical in providing an adequate visual warning to pilots of the existence of a closed runway where visual warnings are necessary in addition to voice warnings from the traffic controller. In designing a warning light system for use as a runway marker, it is important that the device be readily transportable so as to be capable of being vehicle-mounted or towed by a vehicle into and out of position in a minimum of time. Further, it is desirable to enable towing of one or more marker systems at a time so that one may be positioned at each end of the runway. In the past, among other problems in effectively designing runway markers is to construct the markers large enough and bright enough to be readily visible for several miles but nevertheless be capable of being collapsed or retracted into a relatively compact size that can be readily towed around a crowded aircraft terminal.

Of the warning light systems that have been devised for traffic control, U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,515 to J. A. McDermott et al discloses a vehicle-mounted signal light system which is intended for use on emergency vehicles and consists of light bars that are pivoted at an end of a frame so that teach bar must be independently pivoted or rotated in an upward direction to a specific acute angle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,085 to H. T. Hidler et al proposes to mount a series of lights in perforated metal tubing members which are arranged in various configurations but is not readily transportable and not suited for use as a runway marker. U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,606 to R. A. McDowell discloses an arrangement of marker lights with a reflector assembly on light bars or struts which are joined at a common center and specifically designed for use by a vehicle driver to place near the vehicle in the case of vehicle breakdown. However, the device is designed to be stowed within the vehicle when not in use and is not conformable for mounting on a vehicle so as to be readily advanced into a position to serve as a warning light. Other U.S. Letters Patent of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,334,191 to T. G. Thomas; 1,987,863 to L. S. Murphy; 2,782,745 to W. C. Paschke; 3,487,553 to A. L. Stingl; 4,170,767 to J. H. Tanner; 4,812,844 to W. H. Kallstrom and 4,857,920 to S. Kataoka et al. To our knowledge, no one has successfully devised a runway marker system which is readily transportable in the manner described and which can be expanded to a size greatly in excess of the supporting frame or structure and tilted to the desired angle so as to be readily visible to approaching aircraft.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved warning light system which is specifically adaptable for use as a runway marker to warn pilots of a closed runway or taxiway.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved runway marker which is readily transportable either by mounting on a vehicle or by being towed into position on a wheeled frame and wherein marker lights are expandable from a compact stored position to an extended position many times the size of the vehicle or frame.

A further object and feature of the present invention is to provide in a runway marker for a novel and improved light reflector assembly of a size and intensity that is readily visible for substantial distances.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel and improved runway marker system which can be towed either singly or in pairs in a retracted position and rapidly expanded into an operative position at the intended site of use.

In accordance with the present invention, a portable warning light system has been devised which comprises a main frame member adapted to be towed or otherwise mounted externally of a vehicle, means for pivotally mounting the main frame member for movement between a substantially horizontal position and an acute angle to the horizontal, and a plurality of elongated light bars including means pivotally supporting the light bars for movement with respect to the main frame member and in a plane parallel to the main frame member between a retracted position for towing to the intended site of use and an extended position when tilted into position to serve as an effective warning light. Preferably, the light bars are pivotally interconnected at a common center to the center of the frame and each light bar has a trough-shaped assembly with a plurality of lights arranged along the length of each assembly; and the assemblies are pivotal between a position in which the light bars are substantially parallel to one another and an extended position in which the light bars are at substantial angles to one another.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of preferred and modified forms of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred form of runway marker system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the preferred form of runway marker system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view in elevation of the preferred form of marker system;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the light bars of the preferred form of runway marker system;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the light bar assembly shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken about lines 6--6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken about lines 7--7 of FIG. 1.

Referring in more detail to the drawings, a preferred form of warning light system is in the form of a runway marker apparatus 10 which is broadly comprised of scissors-like light bars 11 and 12 pivoted at a common center 14 on a main frame 16, the light bars being movable about the pivot point 14 from a substantially parallel or coextensive relationship, as shown dotted in FIG. 1, to an extended criss-cross arrangement as shown in full in FIGS. 1 and 3. The main frame 16 is pivotally mounted on an open base frame 18 of a trailer 20, and the frame 16 is tiltable from a vertical position to an inclined position, as shown in FIG. 2, under the control of a winch 22.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the pivotal mounting of the light bars 11 and 12 for movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the frame 16 so that in the collapsed position as described the bars are within the width of the frame and can be readily transported from one site to another. For this purpose, the bars 11 and 12 are correspondingly made up of tubular strut members 25, each strut member terminating in a free end which is inserted in a slot 27 adjacent to a gusset plate 26 at opposite ends of the strut member; and an elongated, generally channel-shaped light holder 28 forms a continuation of each strut 25. In turn, each holder assembly 28 includes an inner closed end wall surface 30 defining a support for a plurality of lights 31, 32 at spaced intervals along the length of the holder assemblies 28. Opposite sidewalls 33 and 34 flank the end wall surface 30 and this assembly is reinforced by a shallow support tray 29. Preferably, the lights 31 are larger spotlights, the smaller lights 32 are amber spotlights, and the lights 31, 32 are recessed within the channels as shown to better concentrate and project the light for enhanced illumination.

The frame 16 is preferably of flat, generally rectangular configuration having spaced parallel side bars 40 and 41, a common end bar 42 at its upper end, and vertical and horizontal brace members 43 and 44 intersecting one another and pivotally connected at their point of intersection to the common center 14 of the markers 11 and 12. Inclined brace members 45 and 46 are directed downwardly and outwardly away from the side bars 41 and are rigidly connected to lower inclinded brace members 47 and 48 along with horizontal brace member 50 at the lower end of the frame 16. Upper braces 47' and 48' incline upwardly and outwardly from the sides 40 and 41 for rigid connection into the upper upper horizontal frame portion 42.

The side braces 40 and 41 are pivoted as at 52 at their lower ends to the upper end of the base frame 18 to permit tilting movement of the frame 16 under the control of the winch 22. The winch 22 is mounted on a stand 55 and includes a suitable hand crank 56 and winch line 57 attached to a bracket 58 at the lower end of the center brace 43. The inclined braces 47 and 48 are joined to the center brace 43 directly above the bracket 58, and the front of the frame 18 serves as a limit stop when the markers 11 and 12 are raised into the vertical position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. As further seen from FIG. 2, a slope indicator rod 60 inclines downwardly and rearwardly away from its pivotal connection to one side of the lower end of the main frame 16 to assist in positioning the frame 16 and markers 11 and 12 at one of several inclined positions, as illustrated in dotted form in FIG. 2. The indicator rod 60 is slidable through a sleeve 66 connected in swivelled relation to one side of the frame 18, and is fixed at the desired position by a pin 67 inserted through aligned openings in the rod 60 and sleeve 66, there being a plurality of openings along the length of the sleeve 66 as well as spaced openings 68 in the rod 60. A shock absorber in the form of a cylinder 61 includes a piston rod which is attached to a brace member, not shown, centrally beneath the point of pivotal support of the main frame at 52, and the opposite end of the cylinder 61 is secured to a cross brace member 64.

The base frame 18 of the trailer is of open generally rectangular configuration having a platform 70 mounted on ground-engaging wheels W and a front castor R with a ball-type connector 71 for a hitch at the rear end of the trailer and a socket connection 72 for a hitch at the front end. Leveling jacks 74 are disposed on outriggers 73 at the four corners of the platform, and the upper portion of the base frame includes vertical legs 75 at the four corners joined together by suitable horizontal brace members 76. A suitable control box is designated at C and includes a splitter circuit, not shown, to regulate the operation of the light bars 11 and 12.

It will be noted that an upper brace member 77 extends horizontally between the rear corners 75 to serve as a support and limit stop for the light bars 11, 12 when the latter are tilted into the rearwardly and downwardly inclined position, as shown dotted in FIG. 2. As previously described, the light bars 11 and 12 can be tilted or adjusted to any intermediate position between the rearwardly inclined position and the vertical position and will be retained by fixing the rod 60 in position. Initially, when the cable 57 is released, the frame 16 is caused to tilt rearwardly by the fluid pressure in the cylinder 61, and the weight of the frame 16 will tend to cause it to continue its downward tilting toward the rearwardly inclined position.

For the purpose of illustration but not limitation, the light bars 11 and 12 may be on the order of 25' to 30' long and contain sixteen sealed beam lights in each arm. The channel-shaped beam portions 28 are preferably composed of a light-weight aluminum material and which is surfaced with a non-glare material for increased visibility by focusing or concentrating the light beams. A power supply as designated at T suitably includes a four-cycle diesel or gasoline engine with a 12volt alternator, heavy duty battery, separate fuel tank F and appropriate meters, not shown. The control box C includes the necessary solid state circuitry to regulate the lights and preferably includes a flasher circuit and voltage regulator to regulate the flash rate and degree of brightness of the lights 31 and 32.

As noted particularly from FIG. 3, the light bars 11 and 12 can be adjusted between a collapsed position in which the arms extend substantially parallel to one another, as shown dotted, and an extended position in which the arms are arranged in a mutally perpendicular, criss-cross arrangement to produce an X-shaped array of lights. In this connection, the upper brace members 47', 48' which form lateral extensions from the upper end of the main frame 16 together with the lower inclined braces 47, 48 lend additional support to the light bars 11, 12 when extended into the criss-cross arrangement.

In use, the apparatus is towed into position with the light bars 11 and 12 in the inclined position shown in FIG. 2 but with the leveling jacks 74 and front castor R raised so that the entire weight is carried by the wheels W. With the light bars 11, 12 in one of the inclined positions as shown, two or more apparatus 10 can be towed in tandem by connecting a male hitch 71 of one to a female hitch of the next successive apparatus, and the light bars 11, 12 of the trailing apparatus will overlap the light bars 11 and 12 of the leading apparatus so as to be somewhat nested together. A particular advantage of towing two or more apparatus together is to enable one to be positioned at one end of the runway and the other at the opposite end. Once at the intended site of use, the leveling jacks are lowered along with the castor R, following which the pin 67 is removed from the slope indicator rod 60 and the winch 22 is manually operated to raise the light bars 11 and 12 into position, such as, the vertical disposition illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Specifically, the light bars 11, 12 can be adjusted to any one of four positions each for vertical and horizontal as determined by the spacing of the openings 68 in the slope indicator rod 60 and sleeve 66 so that in one of the selected positions the pin 67 can be inserted through the sleeve into one of the aligned openings 68 in the rod. The light bars 11, 12 are expanded from the collapsed position, as shown dotted in FIG. 1, to the generally criss-cross or X-shaped arrangement as shown in full and this can be done simply by exerting manual pressure at the lower ends of the bars 11 and 12 to swing them outwardly away from one another. In order to return to the travel position, the cable or winch line 57 is released and the pressurized cylinder 61 will initially urge the light bars 11 and 12 rearwardly about their pivot 52 whereupon the weight of the light bars 11 and 12 will then cause them to continue to drop into the inclined position as shown in FIG. 2 with the light bars resting on the brace 77; or in the alternative can rest on an upper rear adjustable bracket support bar 59 which is adjustably positioned at different levels with respect to the rear corner legs 75 by insertion of pins through selected aligned openings in the legs 75 and vertical sides of the support bar 59.

It is to be understood from the foregoing that while a preferred embodiment of the present invention is herein set forth and described, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and reasonable equivalents thereof.