Vehicle LED tail-light bulb
View Patent ↗A vehicle LED tail-light bulb ( 10 ) that is designed to replace an incandescent light bulb, to be inserted into a conventional right and left vehicle light socket and to function in combination with a vehicle battery that powers the bulb ( 10 ) and a flasher unit that is activated by a vehicle turn-signal arm. The LED tail-light bulb incorporates an electronics circuit consisting of an input circuit ( 12 ), an intermediate circuit ( 14 ) and an output circuit ( 16 ). The electronics circuit is designed to operate the left and right turn lights and in some cases an emergency light and to produce a current flow of sufficient magnitude to energize the vehicle flasher unit. The energized flasher unit then causes the bulb ( 10 ) to blink when the vehicle turn-signal arm is placed in either a right turn or a left turn position.
1. A vehicle LED tail-light bulb that is designed to replace an incandescent tail-light bulb by being inserted into a right or a left vehicle tail-light socket, and that functions in combination with a vehicle battery that powers said LED tail-light bulb, and a vehicle flasher unit that is energized when a vehicle turn-signal arm is placed in either a right turn or a left turn position, wherein said LED tail-light bulb comprises an electronics circuit having means for producing a current of sufficient magnitude to energize the vehicle flasher unit when the vehicle turn-signal arm is placed in either a right turn or left turn position.
2. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 1 wherein said electronics circuit is enclosed within the envelope of said bulb.
3. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 2 wherein said electronics circuit is designed to energize a plurality of LEDs.
4. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 3 wherein said plurality of LEDs is comprised of four LEDs.
5. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 3 wherein said plurality of LEDs is comprised of twelve LEDs.
6. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 2 wherein said electronics circuit terminates at a connector (J 1 ) having a set of four contacts.
7. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 6 wherein said connector (J 1 ) is comprised of four contacts that are arranged to correspond to the contacts on the vehicle tail-light socket which accepts either an XC-1156W light bulb, an XL-1156W light bulb, an XC-1157W light bulb or an XL-1157W light bulb.
8. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 2 wherein said bulb can be tinted in a selectable color.
9. A vehicle LED tail-light bulb that is designed to replace an incandescent tail-light bulb by being inserted into a right or a left vehicle tail-light socket, and that functions in combination with a vehicle 12-volt battery that powers said LED tail-light bulb, and a vehicle flasher unit that is energized when a vehicle turn signal arm is placed in either a right or a left turn position, wherein the vehicle flasher unit includes a set of bimetallic contacts that close when heated by a juxtaposed heating element, thus causing said LED tail-light bulb to blink until the contacts cool, at which time said bulb stops blinking, wherein said LED tail-light bulb is operated by an electronics circuit comprising:
a) an input circuit comprising:
(1) a connector (J 1 ) dimensioned to be inserted into one of the vehicle's light sockets, wherein said connector (J 1 ) has a pin 1 connected to the 12-volt battery, a pin 2 also connected to the 12-volt battery and pins 3 and 4 that are connected to circuit ground, wherein the 12-volts d-c on pin 1 is present only when the vehicle brake pedal is depressed or when the vehicle turn signal arm is placed in either a right turn or a left turn position,
(2) a voltage divider consisting of a resistor (R 1 ) and a resistor (R 6 ), wherein said resistor (R 1 ) has a first end and a second end, and said resistor (R 6 ) also has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of said resistor (R 1 ) is connected to pin 1 of said connector (J 1 ), the second end of said resistor (R 1 ) is connected to the first end of said resistor (R 6 ) to form a junction (T), and the second end of said resistor (R 6 ) is connected to pins 3 and 4 of said connector (J 1 ) via a protection diode (D 15 ) that allows a current from pins 3 and 4 to flow in only one direction, a zener diode (D 14 ) having its cathode connected to the junction (T) of the voltage divider,
b) an intermediate circuit comprising:
(1) a transistor (Q 1 ) having a base connected to the anode of said zener diode (D 14 ), a collector connected via a current limiting resistor (R 2 ), to pin 1 of said connector (J 1 ), and an emitter connected to circuit ground,
(2) a transistor (Q 2 ) having a base connected to the collector of said transistor (Q 1 ) and to pin 1 via said resistor (R 2 ), a collector connected to pin 1 via a current limiting resistor (R 3 ), and an emitter,
(3) a varistor (V 1 ) having a first end connected to the emitter of said transistor (Q 2 ), and a second end connected to circuit ground, wherein said varistor (V 1 ) causes the vehicle LED tail-light bulb to draw additional current across pins 1 and 2 ,
c) an output circuit comprising:
(1) a plurality of LEDs connected in a series/parallel configuration and having an input end (I) and an output end (O), wherein the output end (O) is connected to circuit ground,
(2) a current limiting resistor (R 4 ) having a first end connected to the cathode of a protection diode (D 13 ), wherein the anode of said diode (D 13 ) is connected to pin 1 of said connector (J 1 ), and a second end connected the input end (I) of said plurality of LEDs and
(3) a current limiting resistor (R 5 ) having a first end connected to pin 2 of said connector (J 1 ) and a second end connected to the input end (I) of said plurality of LEDs, wherein when said vehicle LED tail-light bulb replaces the incandescent tail-light bulb, the current drawn by the LED tail-light bulb is of sufficient magnitude to cause the flasher unit to function in a conventional manner.
10. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 9 wherein said connector (J 1 ) is comprised of four contacts that are arranged to correspond with the contacts on the socket which accepts either an XC-1156W light bulb, an XL-1156W light bulb, an XC-1157W light bulb, or an XL-1157W light bulb.
11. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 9 wherein the voltage at the junction T of the voltage divider is selected to cause the zener diode (D 14 ) to conduct.
12. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 11 wherein the zener diode (D 14 ) applies a voltage of 2.7 volts d-c to the base of said transistor (Q 1 ).
13. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 11 wherein said transistor (Q 1 ) is comprised of an NPN transistor.
14. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 11 wherein said transistor (Q 2 ) is comprised of an NPN transistor.
15. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 9 wherein said plurality of LEDs is comprised of at least eight LEDs.
16. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 9 wherein said plurality of LEDs is comprised of twelve LEDs.
17. A vehicle LED tail-light bulb that is designed to replace an incandescent tail-light bulb by being inserted into a right or a left vehicle tail-light socket, and that functions in combination with a vehicle 12-volt battery that powers said LED tail-light bulb, and a vehicle flasher unit that is energized when a vehicle turn signal arm is placed in either a right or a left turn position, wherein the vehicle flasher unit includes a set of bimetallic contacts that close when heated by a juxtaposed heating element, thus causing said LED tail-light bulb to blink until the contacts cool, at which time said bulb stops blinking, wherein said LED tail-light bulb is operated by an electronics circuit comprising:
a) an input connector (J 1 ) that is dimensioned to be inserted into one of the vehicle's light sockets, wherein said connector (J 1 ) has a pin 1 connected to the 12-volt battery a pin 2 also connected to the 12-volt battery and pins 3 and 4 that are connected to circuit ground, wherein the 12-volts d-c on pin 1 is present only when the vehicle turn signal arm is placed in either a right turn or a left turn position,
b) a varistor (V 1 ) having a first end connected across pin 1 of said connector (J 1 ) and a second end connected to circuit ground, wherein the varistor (V 1 ) causes the vehicle LED tail-light bulb to draw additional current across pins 1 and 2 of said connector (J 1 ),
c) a plurality of LEDs that are connected in a series/parallel configuration and having an input end (I) and an output end (O), wherein the output end (O) is connected to pins 3 and 4 of said connector (J 1 ) via a protection diode D 15 that allows a current from pins 3 and 4 to flow in only one direction,
d) a current limiting resistor (R 4 ) having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is connected to the input end (I) and the first end is connected via a protection diode (D 13 ) to pin 1 of said connector (J 1 ), and
e) a current limiting resistor (R 5 ) having a first end and a second end wherein the second end is connected to the input end (I) and the first end is connected to pin 2 of said connector (J 1 ).
18. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 17 wherein said connector (J 1 ) is comprised of four contacts that are arranged to correspond to the contacts on either an XC-1156W light bulb, an XL-1156W light bulb, an XC-1157W light bulb, or an XL-1157W light bulb.
19. The vehicle LED tail-light bulb as specified in claim 17 wherein said plurality of LEDs is comprised of twelve LEDs.