U.S. patent number 3,901,121 [Application Number 05/262,667] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-26 for light emitting device.
Invention is credited to Carl J. Kleiner.
United States Patent |
3,901,121 |
Kleiner |
August 26, 1975 |
Light emitting device
Abstract
The device is worn by a person and comprises a frame having a
face of a given design. Located within the frame is a free-running
multivibrator which is supplied with power from small batteries
also located within the frame. In one embodiment, the device is a
jewelry item adapted to be worn for example as a pendant or as a
brooch while in another embodiment it is a metronome adapted to be
worn on a person's wrist. As a jewelry item it has two light
emitting diodes coupled to the two stages of the multivibrator
respectively which alternately emit light when the multivibrator is
actuated. These diodes are spaced from each other and form two eyes
of a face and which appear alternately to blink when the
multivibrator is actuated. As a metronome, the device has one light
emitting diode coupled to one stage of the multivibrator and which
periodically is energized as the multivibrator is actuated. A
control means is provided for varying the frequency of operation of
the multivibrator and hence the frequency at which the diode is
energized.
Inventors: |
Kleiner; Carl J. (Cisco,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
26917209 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/262,667 |
Filed: |
June 14, 1972 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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222849 |
Feb 2, 1972 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
84/484; 331/113R;
340/331; 362/104; 362/124; 968/820 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04F
5/025 (20130101); A44C 15/0015 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A44C
15/00 (20060101); G04F 5/00 (20060101); G04F
5/02 (20060101); G10g 007/00 (); F21l 001/00 ();
G08b 005/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/6.4W,1R,59
;340/331,341 ;58/13E ;84/484 ;307/292,132R ;331/113R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1,414,063 |
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Sep 1965 |
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FR |
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969,770 |
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Sep 1964 |
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GB |
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Other References
Morehead, F. F., Jr., "Light-Emitting Semiconductor," Scientific
American, May 1967, p. 109..
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Primary Examiner: Peters, Jr.; Joseph F.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No.
222,849, filed Feb. 2, 1972, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A light emitting device adapted to be worn or carried by a
person, comprising:
a thin frame comprising an intermediate plate means sandwiched
between a front plate and a rear plate, said intermediate plate
means having a carrying zone formed therein,
electrical components including a free-running multivibrator and a
source of DC voltage for actuating said multivibrator located in
said carrying zone,
a light emitting diode to be periodically actuated by said
multivibrator,
said light emitting diode being connected in the circuit of said
multivibrator and to one stage thereof,
said light emitting diode being positioned to be visible from the
front of said device,
an on-off switch connected to the circuit of said multivibrator and
extending through said frame to the exterior thereof for
controlling the flow of electrical energy from said source to said
multivibrator and hence to said light emitting diode,
at least one of said front or rear plates being adapted to be
removed for replacing components within said frame.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein:
said front plate has an aperture extending therethrough,
said light emitting diode being positioned to extend into said
aperture to a position whereby it is visible from the front of said
device.
3. The device of claim 2 comprising means coupled to said frame for
allowing a person to wear said device as an item of jewelry,
said source of voltage producing an output voltage not greater than
about 6 volts DC,
said multivibrator being characterized to periodically actuate said
light emitting diode at a frequency slow enough to be perceived and
seen by a human being.
4. The device of claim 2 comprising:
control means connected to the circuit of said multivibrator and
extending through the frame to the outside for varying the
frequency of operation of said multivibrator to form a variable
frequency metronome having a light emitting diode as its beat
producing means,
said control means being adapted to vary the frequency of operation
of said multivibrator within a range including the range from about
40 cycles to about 210 cycles per minute, and
a bend connected to opposite ends of said frame for allowing a
person to wear said metronome on the wrist,
said source of voltage producing an output voltage not greater than
about 6 volts DC.
5. The device of claim 4 comprising a band supporting plate
sandwiched between said front plate and said rear plate,
said band being connected to opposite ends of said band supporting
plate.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein frame in its thin plane has a
cross-sectional area not greater than about 3.4 square inches.
7. The device of claim 4 comprising:
means for shielding said light emitting diode against extraneous
light to facilitate use of said device in daylight.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a small device adapted to be worn or
carried by a person and employing modern-day electronic technology.
In one aspect it relates to an item of jewelry which has
fascinating appeal particularly to the younger generation. In
another aspect it relates to an economic and useful metronome which
may be worn on a person's wrist.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device comprises a frame adapted to be worn or carried by a
person and includes structure forming a face of a given design.
Light emitting means is carried by the frame and is positioned to
emit light from a given position on the face. In addition an
electronic oscillator is located in the frame for periodically
actuating the light emitting means.
In the embodiment disclosed, the light emitting means is a light
emitting diode. An electrical energy source is adapted to be
located in the frame for supplying electrical energy to the
oscillator. In addition a manual on-off switch is provided for
turn-on and turn-off of the oscillator and hence of the light
emitting means.
In one embodiment, two spaced light emitting diodes are provided to
form two eyes of the face. The oscillator comprises a two stage
free-running multivibrator. One light emitting diode is coupled to
one stage while the other light emitting diode is coupled to the
other stage. Actuation of the multivibrator causes the two stages
to alternately conduct thereby causing the two diodes to
alternately emit light.
In another embodiment a light emitting diode is coupled to only one
of the stages for providing the beat time for a metronome. In
addition a control means is provided for varying the frequency of
operation of the multivibrator to control the beat time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the device of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial showing of the electronic components of the
device of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a free-running multivibrator of
the device of FIGS. 1 and 2 having a light emitting diode coupled
to each stage.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a metronome adapted to be worn on a
person's wrist;
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section of the metronome of FIGS. 4 and
5; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the circuitry of the
metronome.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated at 11 one embodiment of
the device of the present invention. The device of FIG. 1 has a
front face 13 having a design of an owl forming a jewelry item.
Formed in the face are two eyes 15 and 17 through which extend two
light emitting diodes 19 and 21 respectively. These diodes
alternately are actuated to emit light whereby the eyes appear to
alternately blink. The device or jewelry item 11 of FIG. 1 is
adapted to be worn by a person and in this respect has a top hook
23 for holding a chain 25 which is adapted to fit around a person's
neck whereby the item 11 may be worn as a pendant.
Referring also to FIG. 2, the jewelry item 11 comprises a frame
formed by an inner plate 31 to which are attached a front plate 33
and a rear plate 35. The three plates 31, 33, and 35, are secured
together by way of bolts illustrated at 37. The inner plate 31 has
open spaces or apertures 31A-31E formed therethrough for supporting
electronic circuitry and batteries for actuating the light emitting
diodes 19 and 21.
Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic circuitry is an oscillating
means comprising a free-running multivibrator 41 having two stages
which alternately conduct when the oscillator or multivibrator is
actuated. The multivibrator is of the conventional type comprising
a collector-coupled transistor multivibrator. In this respect PNP
transistor 43 forms one stage while PNP transistor 45 forms the
other stage. Also included are capacitors 47 and 49 and resistors
51, 53, 55, and 57. Power is supplied to the multivibrator from
four batteries illustrated at 61, 63, 65, and 67. A manually
actuated switch 69 may be closed or open to control the passage of
electrical energy to the multivibrator to control its operation.
The multivibrator may be actuated by moving the switch 69 to
contact terminal 71. When this occurs, one transistor will conduct
while the other transistor is cut off until a point is reached at
which the transistors or stages reverse their conditions. That is,
the stage which has been conducting, cuts off, and the stage that
has been cut off, conducts.
Coupled to the collectors of the transistors 43 and 45, are the
light emitting diodes 19 and 21. When transistor 43 conducts, light
emitting diode 19 will be actuated to emit light. It will cease to
emit light when transistor 43 turns off. Similarly when transistor
45 conducts, light emitting diode 21 will be actuated to emit
light. Diode 21 will cease to emit light when transistor 45 turns
off. Thus as the two stages of the multivibrator alternately
conduct, the two light emitting diodes 19 and 21 alternately emit
light. The rate of oscillation of the multivibrator and hence the
rate at which the light emitting diodes 19 and 21 alternately emit
light, is slow enough to be perceived and seen by a human being. In
one embodiment, the multivibrator 41 is adapted to oscillate at a
repetition rate of about 3 cycles per second. At this rate, the
eyes 15 and 17 of the face of FIG. 1 appear to be alternately
blinking when seen by a person.
In one embodiment, the light emitting diodes are identified as type
T1L209, gallium arsenide phosphide visible-light source
manufactured by Texas Instruments, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, and
described in Bulletin No. DL-S7111417, February 1971, Revised
March, 1971. They have a maximum reverse voltage rating of 3 volts
and a maximum continuous forward current rating of 40 m.a. In the
circuit disclosed each diode draws less than 5 m.a. These light
emitting diodes comprise a rounded body which emits light when the
diode is properly biased. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, light
emitting bodies 19 and 21 are inserted through apertures 15A and
17A formed through the front plate 33 in the center of the eyes 15
and 17 respectively. Thus a portion of the light emitting diodes
extend through the plate 33 forming the front face and are
centrally located within the eye portions of the face whereby when
the diodes are alternately turned on, they give the appearance of
the eyes alternately blinking.
In one embodiment, the batteries 61, 63, 65, and 67 are
commercially available mercury cells rated at 1.4 volts each. In
the series-parallel connections illustrated in FIG. 3, the total
voltage applied to the multivibrator is 2.8 volts. Capacitors 47
and 49 each are rated at 10 microfarads, 20 volts. Resistors 51 and
53 each are rated at 100 ohms while resistors 55 and 57 each are
rated at 22 kilohms. Transistors 43 and 45 are identified as type
2N5139, National. With these component values, the multivibrator
will oscillate at a rate of about 3 cycles per second, as
indiciated above and will continue to run at this rate for about 45
hours before the batteries are exhausted and need to be replaced.
When the jewelry item is not in use switch 69 may be opened to
conserve the batteries.
In the embodiment disclosed, the owl forming the jewelry item has a
height of about 2 inches and a width of about 1.5 inch. Its
thickness is about 6/16ths of an inch. Its weight is about 2.5
ounces. Thus the jewelry item is relatively small and lightweight
and may be readily worn by a person either as a pendant or for
example as a brooch, with a suitable clip or pin formed on the back
side (not shown). Also not shown, is an opening formed through the
back plate 35 with a cover which may be removed to replace the
batteries 61, 63, 65, and 67. The plate 33 forming the front face
may be opaque or formed of tinted transparent plastic for example a
red transparent plastic sheet of material.
Although the jewelry item shown has a face and the design of an
owl, it is to be understood that other faces may be employed
instead, such as a smiling face of a person, the face of a fish,
bird, etc. In addition it is to be understood that instead of two
light emitting diodes, only one may be employed to represent a
single blinking eye. In addition other faces instead of animal
faces may be employed for the jewelry item. For example the jewelry
item may have a configuration and hence a front face in the form of
a heart. A single light emitting diode may be employed to
periodically turn on or a plurality of light emitting diodes may be
employed for example to periodically turn on to light up the word
"Love."
Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, the metronome is identified at 101 and
comprises a frame formed by a main frame plate 103 to which are
attached a front plate 105 and a rear or back container 107 which
contains the electronics and batteries. The main frame plate 103,
front plate 105, and the back container 107 are secured together by
bolts illustrated at 109. Coupled to the plate 103 is a flexible
band 111 which enables a person to wear the metronome on his or her
wrist. The front plate 105 has an aperture 113 extending
therethrough in which is located a light emitting diode 115. The
diode has its top portion extending above the front face 105A of
the plate 105 whereby the diode is visible to the viewer. The
electronics located in the container 107 are employed to cause the
light emitting diode 115 periodically to blink or to emit a visible
"timing beat" for use by a musician or for example a director to
aid the musician or director in maintaining the desired rate of
beat in the rendering of a musical composition. A manually
adjustable dial or control means 117 is provided for adjusting the
rate or frequency at which the diode 115 is energized to provide a
means for adjusting the rate of the timing beat. Indicia numbers
76, 96, 120, and 144 formed on the front face represent different
rates or frequencies to which the timing beat may be adjusted. An
on-off switch 119 also is employed for turning the metronome off or
on. In addition a light shield 121 may be employed to fit around
the front face 105A for shielding against light to allow a person
to use the metronome in daylight. The shield 121 for example may be
formed of translucent flexible plastic material having a dark tint.
It is coupled in place by placing its three sides around the edges
of plate 105 and the clip members 121A around the edges of plate
103 as illustrated in FIG. 5.
Referring to FIG. 7, there will be described the electronic
circuitry for operating and controlling the light emitting diode
forming the beat mechanism of the metronome. The electronic
circuitry is an oscillating means comprising a free-running
multivibrator 122 having two stages which alternately conduct when
the multivibrator is actuated. The multivibrator is similar to that
of FIG. 3 with certain modifications thereof. In this respect PNP
transistor 123 forms one stage while PNP transistor 125 forms the
other stage. Also included are capacitors 127 and 129; resistors
151, 153, 155, and 157; and a potentiometer 159 controlled by dial
117. Power is supplied to the multivibrator from four batteries
connected together in series and illustrated at 161. The on-off
switch is illustrated at 119. Coupled to the collector of
transistor 123 is the light emitting diode 115 for emitting the
timing beat in the form of a pulsating light. The multivibrator may
be actuated or turned on by moving the switch 119 to contact
terminal 163. When this occurs, one transistor will conduct while
the other transistor is cut off until a point is reached at which
the transistors or stages reverse their conditions. That is, the
stage that has been conducting, cuts off and the stage that has
been cut off, conducts. When transistor 123, conducts, light
emitting diode 115 will be energized to emit light. It will cease
to emit light when transistor 123 turns off. Thus as the stage
formed by transistor 123 periodically conducts, light emitting
diode 115 periodically will emit light to form the timing beat. The
frequency of the timing beat may be varied by adjustment of dial
117 which is coupled to the rotatable element 159A of the
potentiometer 159. The multivibrator is calibrated and the control
dial and the indicia numbers are placed in such a manner that
rotation of the dial 117 to align its arrow 117A with the various
indicia numbers will produce the beat frequency indicated by the
indicia numbers. The beat frequency is beats of light flashes per
minute.
The light emitting diode is of the type T1L209 as indicated above
and the PNP transistors are also of the type 2N5139, National as
indicated above. Resistor 157 is rated at 39 kilohms while the
potentiometer 159 is rated from 0 to 100 kilohms. Resistor 155 is
rated at 22 kilohms and capacitors 127 and 129 each are rated at 10
microfarads, 20 volts. Resistor 153 is rated at 100 ohms while
resistor 151 is rated at 680 ohms. The R-C time constant of the two
stages are different whereby transistor 123 will be off for a
longer period of time than transistor 125 in each operating cycle.
This is desirable in order to minimize drain on the battery and
hence to conserve its lifetime. In this respect, since light
emitting diode 115 is energized when transistor 123 conducts, the
stage formed by transistor 123 will draw more current when it
conducts than will the stage formed by transistor 125. Thus it is
desirable to reduce the conduction time of the stage formed by
transistor 123.
In one embodiment, the batteries 161 are commercially available
mercury cells rated at 1.4 volts each. The diode 115 draws 15 m.a.
for the series battery connections shown. For the value of the
components given and with the series battery connections, the
metronome may operate for about 12 hours before the batteries are
exhausted and need to be replaced. Although not shown, an opening,
having a removable cover, is formed through the back plate 107A of
container 107 to allow the batteries to be replaced.
It is to be understood that the different frequency ranges for the
operation of the metronome may be obtained by employing a
potentiometer 159 having different rated resistance ranges. One
suitable range of beat frequencies extends from 40-210 cycles or
beats per minute. In one embodiment the potentiometer 159 was of
type T-100K sold by Centralab, Electronics Division of Globe-Union,
Inc.
If desired, the four batteries 161 may be coupled together in a
series parallel arrangement as illustrated by the battery
connections of FIG. 3. This arrangement has advantages in that it
will increase the operational time of the device to about 50 hours
although the intensity of the light emitted by the light emitting
diode will be relatively lower. In this embodiment the diode 115
will draw about 6 m.a.
In one embodiment, the frame of the metronome has a width of about
13/8 inches, a length of 21/2 inches and a thickness of 9/16 of an
inch. Its weight is about 3 ounces. Thus it is relatively small and
lightweight and may be readily worn on a person's wrist.
Although the metronome was described above as being used by
musicians or directors, it is to be understood that it has other
uses. For example it may be used by doctors to monitor the pulse
rate of a patient.
Although the light emitting diodes in the embodiments of FIGS. 1
and 4 are illustrated as extending through the front plates forming
the front faces, the diodes do not need to extend through the front
plates and may in fact be positioned below the front plates and
still emit light through the front plates forming the front faces,
visible to the viewer, if the plates forming the faces are of a
transparent or translucent material.
If desired, a single dial could be employed to control both the
on-off switch 119 and the potentiometer element 159A of the device
of FIGS. 4-7 although preferably the on-off switch and the
potentiometer are controlled independently of each other in order
to minimize the possibility of accidental turn-on.
* * * * *