3 ms·
It'd be a bit complex, but why not spin the lens with a motor at high speed, like a clear view screen on a ship? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_view_scree
by cr0sh 9y ago
It'd be a bit complex, but why not spin the lens with a motor at high speed, like a clear view screen on a ship?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_view_screen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_view_screen
Actually, maybe it would be simpler than I first thought:
1. Mount the lens using v-shaped rollers on the edges (three would be sufficient)
2. Along the edge of the lens, attach permanent magnets - a ring of magnets with alternating polarity, NSNSNS...
3. Coils along the edges (might even be able to do it with printed circuit coils) energized, interacting with the magnets to spin the lens.
Essentially, you're making the lens operate as the rotor of a high-speed brushless rotor. One could probably trivially implement a prototype of this using hardware store parts over the weekend.
In fact, this seems like such a simple solution, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a patent already out there describing it.
If not - consider this submission of mine "prior art" I guess - anybody at YC want to fund a startup? /lol
- saas_sam 9y agoMakes sense, but wouldn't it be cheaper to stick a motor on the light to vibrate and detach the snow/ice?
- Johnny555 9y agoIn cold weather a car windshield can ice over at 60mph without defroster heat, I don't think a vibrating light housing will stop freezing rain from building up. There is one thing that is proven to work in a wide variety of situations, is easy to supply, has no moving parts: heat. And there are already solutions out there to provide heat.
- gbba 9y agoMoving parts are typically a very vulnerable point of failure. Traffic lights must have high uptime and require low maintenance.
- rjmunro 9y agoWhy not? It would freeze between the spinning lens and the LED units. It would require maintenance or break down. You could just use a small heating element to reproduce some of the heat of the old bulb.
- Myztiq 9y agoOr, use a heated panel. Reposting a link another commenter added: https://products.currentbyge.com/transportation-lighting/led-traffic-signals/gtx-heated-shell https://products.currentbyge.com/transportation-lighting/led...