The invention is especially, though not exclusively concerned with solar-powered beacons for use with traffic cones and posts in the delineation of hazards and road boundaries for motor vehicles.

According to the present invention solar-powered apparatus comprises solar-cell means for responding to incident light to provide an electrical signal-output dependent on the light-level sensed, rechargeable power- source means, said power-source means being arranged to be recharged from the signal-output of the solar-cell means, output means powered electrically from the power- source means for providing an output of the apparatus, and circuit means responsive to the signal-output of the solar-cell means to accumulate representation according to time of the light-level sensed by the solar-cell means and in dependence upon this to nominate a time for powering the output means, and wherein the output means is powered from the power-source means in accordance with the nominated time.

The apparatus according to the invention has the advantage that powering of the output means is timed according to the said nominated time rather than as with known apparatus, directly according to the light-level currently sensed. This is of importance especially where the apparatus is such as a traffic beacon and the output means is a lamp or other light-source, since it enables operation of the lamp or other light-source to be related to the trend in ambient light-level rather than to the instantaneous level. With this it is possible to establish, for example, a daily pattern for operation of the lamp or other light-source that adapts automatically

to daily changes in the timing of dusk and the duration of darkness.

Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that it enables the two actions of powering the output means and recharging the power-source means to be carried out from the solar-cell means without substantially any interference between them. In particular, the instantaneous output-signal from the solar-cell means will be affected while it is being used to recharge the power-source means, and if the criterion for powering the output means were to be the instantaneous output of the solar-cell means, inconsistent and power-wasting operation of the output means could be expected.

Furthermore, the effective separation of the two actions of powering the output means and recharging the power- source means, readily enables recharging to take place even while the output means is being powered. More especially, in the context of application of the invention to a traffic beacon, the power-source means may be recharged from the output of the solar-cell means while the light-source is being pulse-powered; for example, the solar-cell means may respond to artificial light from vehicles to provide current for recharging the power-source means.

The power-source means may be one or more rechargeable batteries, but may in addition, or alternatively, involve one or more charge-storage capacitors.

The apparatus of the present invention when applied to the provision of a traffic beacon may take the form of a unit for attachment to a traffic cone or post; alternatively, it may be incorporated into a traffic cone or post.

A traffic cone incorporating a traffic beacon in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cone partly broken away to show details of the beacon according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a partly schematic representation of the electrical circuitry of the beacon of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the traffic cone has a body 1 that is formed as a hollow moulding of a brightly-coloured polymer with a weighted base 2. The body 1 has drainage vents 3 and is fitted at its top end 4 with a sleeve 5 that carries a beacon unit 6. The unit 6 includes a lamp 7 that is housed within a clear transparent cover 8 inside an outer, frusto-conical coloured lens 9 that tops the cone.

The lamp 7 is powered from a rechargeable battery-pack 10 under control of an electronic circuit 11, both mounted within the sleeve 5. The circuit 11 controls energisation of the lamp 7 and also recharging of the battery-pack 10 from the output of a thin-film solar-cell module or panel 12 that is mounted on the outside of the sleeve 5 to be exposed to the headlights of passing vehicles as well as to ambient daylight. Details of the circuit 11 are shown in Figure 2 and will now be described together with operation of the circuit 11 in controlling power supply to the lamp 7 and recharging of the battery-pack 10.

Referring to Figure 2, the circuit 11 includes a micro- processor 20 (having a low-power requirement) that is supplied by an analogue-to-digital converter 21 with a

digital representation of the voltage output of the solar-cell panel 12. The processor 20 responds to this digital signal to control energisation of the lamp 7. In this respect, the processor 20, which has an associated clock circuit 22, supplies a signal to the base of a switching transistor 23 that has its collector-emitter current path connected in series with the battery-pack 10 and the lamp 7. The signal supplied is either a pulse signal to switch the transistor 23 on and off periodically and cause flashing of the lamp 7, or a bias to hold the transistor 23 off. Which of these signals is supplied is dependent on comparison between the time of day determined by the processor 20 from the clock circuit 22, and nominated times identified with dusk'and dawn' within the processor 20.

The dusk'and dawn'time-nominations, which are refreshed within the processor 20 recurrently at five- minute intervals, define the times when flashing of the lamp 7 is to be turned on and off respectively. These nominations are derived from a table of samples of the ambient-light level represented by the output of the panel 12. More particularly, the output of the panel 12 is sampled 256 times during each successive period of thirty minutes (that is to say, nominally at 7-second intervals), and representations of the samples are accumulated by the processor 20 for the immediately- preceding twenty-four hours. The table of samples is smoothed or averaged out every five minutes across a running sequence of six samples and the lowest and highest average light-readings are then selected for use in calculating a threshold light-value as a criterion for the dusk'and dawn'nominations. The threshold light- value is calculated by adding to the lowest average light-value twenty-percent of the difference between the highest and lowest average values. This calculated threshold value, corresponding to twenty-percent of the

average highest light-value above the average lowest, is used to determine from the accumulated table of samples, when during the immediately preceding twenty-four hours the level of daylight fell below, and then rose through that threshold. The identified time-values provide the dusk'and dawn'nominations for flashing of the lamp 7 to begin and end respectively.

Maintenance of flashing of the lamp 7 depends upon the state of charge of the battery-pack 10, and the output of the solar-cell panel 12 is used during daylight, when the transistor 23 is normally held off, to recharge it. In this regard, the processor 20 is supplied from an analogue-to-digital converter 24 at the nominal 7-second intervals with a digital signal representative of the instantaneous voltage output of the battery-pack 10.

While the transistor 23 is held off and the represented battery-voltage is not higher than the voltage output of the solar-panel 12, the processor 20 energises a relay 25 to connect the battery-pack 10 across the panel 12 for recharging. The sampling of the output of the panel 12 at the nominal 7-second intervals for accumulation by the processor 20 of the table of ambient-light samples, continues while recharging is in progress. However, energisation of the relay 25 from the processor 20 is interrupted to disconnect the battery-pack 10 from the panel 12 during the taking of the sample, so that the sample is not distorted by the state of charge of the battery-pack 10.

The output of the solar-cell panel 12 is also used intermittently for recharging the battery-pack 10, while the lamp 7 is flashing. In this regard, if while the lamp 7 is being energised by periodic switching on and off of the transistor 23, the panel 12 is activated by light from vehicle headlights or other artificial-light sources to provide an output voltage in excess of the

battery-voltage, the processor 20 responds to this to energise the relay 25. The relay 25 is energised transitorily to connect the battery-pack 10 across the panel 12 for charging in the intervals between switching of the transistor 23 on. But here again, the charging process is interrupted whenever a sample of the output of the panel 12 is to be taken during the nominal 7-second cycle.

Recharging of the battery-pack 10, although carried out to some extent from artificial light while the lamp 7 is flashing, takes place principally during daylight when the lamp 7 is not operative. There can be circumstances, particularly in winter, when the battery-pack 10 is insufficiently charged to sustain the lamp 7 flashing throughout the period between the dusk'and dawn' nominations. In order to compensate in these circumstances, the processor 20 as supplied at the nominal 7-second intervals from the convertor 24 with the digital representation of the voltage output of the battery-pack 10, calculates the power available. This calculation is used in conjunction with the dusk'and dawn'nominations to estimate whether the battery power is adequate to maintain a standard flashing cycle of the lamp 7 throughout the interval between them.

If according to the estimate, the power available is adequate, the processor 20 establishes the standard on- off (mark to space) ratio of 1: 5 for pulsing the transistor 23. On the other hand, if the estimate indicates that the power available is inadequate, the processor 20 calculates whether it would be adequate to sustain the lamp 7 flashing with a less-onerous on-off ratio between 1: 5 and 1: 10 for pulsing the transistor 23, and if it is, to establish for that purpose the highest ratio in that range. In the event that the power available is inadequate to support a pulsing ratio as

high as 1: 10, the processor 20 establishes the pulsing ratio at 1: 10. It then adjusts the dusk'and dawn' nominations of time equally in opposite senses to one another, so as to reduce the interval between them to such an extent that the battery-power is adequate for the lamp 7 to continue flashing at the 1: 10 pulsing throughout.

The operation of the beacon thus proceeds according to a repetitive program executed by the processor 20. The program has three main sequences, one, identified as sequence A, is performed 256 times in each successive period of thirty minutes (that is, at the nominal 7- second rate), as follows: (a) receive digital representation of voltage output of the solar-cell panel 12; (b) add representation of stage (a) to an accumulated running total [see (i) of sequence B below]; (c) receive and store digital representation of the output voltage of the battery-pack 10; (d) compare representations of stages (a) and (c) with one another; and (e) if according to the comparison of stage (d) the output voltage of the panel 12 is greater than that of the pack 10, energise relay 25 to recharge the battery 10 from the panel 12.

A second of the three sequences, sequence B, performed every thirty minutes, is as follows:

(f) read the accumulated running total of stage (b) of sequence A; (g) derive from the running total of stage (f), the value of the average output voltage (over the immediately-preceding thirty-minute interval) for the solar-cell panel 12; (h) enter the derived average output voltage in a table of such output voltages accumulated for successive cycles of this sequence B over the last twenty-four hours; (i) restart the running total of representations of the output voltage of the solar-cell panel 12.

The third sequence, sequence C, performed every five minutes, is as follows: (j) copy the table of stage (h) of sequence B; (k) smooth the copied table of stage (j) with a six- value running average-window; (1) determine from the smoothed table of stage (k), the lowest value represented; (m) determine from the smoothed table of stage (k), the highest value represented; (n) calculate twenty-percent of the difference between the highest and lowest values determined in stages (m) and (1) and add to the lowest value determined in stage (1) to derive a threshold value for this sequence C;

(o) scan the table of stage (j) to determine the time when the output-voltage value fell below the threshold value derived in stage (n), and record this as a dusk'nomination; (p) scan the table of stage (j) to determine the time when the output-voltage value rose through the threshold value derived in stage (n), and record this as a dawn'nomination; (q) from stored digital representation of the output voltage of the battery-pack 10 of stage (c) of sequence A, calculate power remaining in battery- pack 10; (r) determine whether the calculated power-remaining of stage (q) is adequate to maintain a prospective mark-to-space ratio of 1: 5 for pulsing the transistor 23 for a period which, if the transistor 23 is currently biased off, is that between the dusk'and dawn'time-nominations of stages (o) and (p), or otherwise is that between the current time and the dawn'time-nomination; (s) if it is determined that the calculated power- remaining of stage (q) is adequate under stage (r), set the mark-to-space ratio to 1: 5, but if not, repeat stage (r) decreasing the prospective mark-to- space ratio progressively from 1: 5 to 1: 10; (t) if the calculated power-remaining of stage (q) is found adequate for a decreased, prospective mark- to-space ratio under stage (s) set the mark-to-space ratio to that ratio, but if not even for a prospective mark-to-space ratio of 1: 10, set the mark-to-space ratio to 1: 10;

(u) if the calculated power-remaining of stage (q) is found inadequate for the prospective mark-to- space ratio of 1: 10 under stage (s), then, if the transistor 23 is biased off, adjust the dusk'and dawn'time-nominations of stages (o) and (p) equally to reduce the interval between them to give adequacy of the power-remaining under stage (q), or otherwise adjust the dawn'time nomination towards the current time to the same end; (v) if the current time is between the dusk'and dawn'time-nominations of stages (o) and (p) as adjusted if applicable under stage (u), pulse the transistor 23 at the mark-to-space ratio set under stage (s) or (t), otherwise bias the transistor 23 off.

Operation of the beacon in accordance with the above sequencing enables optimum use to be made of the solar energy received and advantage to be taken of light from other sources, without prejudicing fundamental beacon- functions.

Provision is made by means of an interface 26 for deriving reports of the current rate and state of charge (and other health aspects) of the battery-pack 10, and confirming operational integrity of the circuit 11 and lamp 7. The interface 26 may also be used for charging the battery-pack 10 from an external source and as an input-port for use in re-programming the processor 20 (for example, allowing the user to modify the operational algorithm). External connection to the interface 26 could be by contact, or could be contactless, and in particular transfer of data to and from it could be by radio or infra-red transmission. However, input of data to the circuit 11 could be effected via the solar-cell panel 12 (or part of it) using modulated light, and

provided its response characteristics were suitable for modulated-light transmission, the lamp 7 could be used for the output of data.

The light-source of the traffic beacon may be provided by one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) rather than the lamp 7.

The beacon unit 6, or just the solar-cell panel 12, may be adjustable in azimuth relative to the cone-body 1 for achieving optimum orientation with respect to the sun and to traffic flow. More especially, the unit 6 may include a servo-control system for driving the panel 12 to follow the sun by day and at night achieve maximum benefit from headlights and other light. Alternatively and more simply, the panel 12 could be enlarged to extend round the circumference of the unit 6, to achieve essentially the same effect.