Safety Lighting System For Use With Power Tools And Equipment.

Submitted 2 years ago

United States Patent 10,724,733
Backe July 28, 2020

SUMMARY

The safety lighting system solves the problem of working in low-visibility situations by providing enhanced 360-degree visibility of a worker and his equipment to passing vehicles and pedestrians.

The safety lighting system works in combination with a piece of maintenance equipment, a power tool, a battery pack, or a maintenance backpack. The safety lighting system illuminates the operator, the tool, and a surrounding area when the tool or piece of equipment is in use. Such a system allows a passerby to see the operator even in substandard light conditions.

Associated tools include edgers, line trimmers, brush cutters, bed refiners, pole saws, pruners, chain saws, hedge trimmers, shredder vacuums, concrete cutters, blowers, sprayers, and hand-held power tools. These tools may be battery powered, powered by cords to electrical outlets, or gas powered. The safety lighting system works with tools of any power type by drawing power for the lights from the power source of the piece of equipment.

The safety lighting system includes a plurality of lights built into the piece of equipment, built into the power tool, added to the power tool, or incorporated into a vest the operator wears. Preferably the lighting system creates lighting in all directions--360 degrees around the user.

The location of the built-in lights depends on the piece of equipment or power tool. For example, lights should be located on the rear and on each side of each piece of equipment. But certain pieces of equipment or tools, such as edgers and tree trimmers, preferably include a built-in light away from the body of the tool instead closing to the working end. This is necessary because these pieces of equipment operate further away from the user's body, with the hazard arising away from the user's body. For example, the rotating head of a string trimmer. Adding lighting at the end, where the hazard to a third-party exists, is important to warn the third-party of potential harm.

The vest includes a plurality of lights. Preferred lighting locations include the chest, the back, and each shoulder. Lights on all sides of the vest enhance the visibility of the operator in all directions.

In one embodiment of the lighted safety vest, the lights placed at each location are individual lights. In alternative embodiments, the vest includes a series of lights, or strips of lights, running from the back, over the shoulders, and down the torso.

The lighted vest is electrically connected to the power tool or piece of equipment. This allows the lights to be powered by the tool and not require a separate power source to be located on the vest. In order to connect to the tool, the lighted vest includes a cord with a male connector. The power tool or piece of equipment includes a female outlet or port into which the vest cord will plug to draw power.

On gas powered tools, the tool will require an alternator to convert the gas power to electrical power for operation of the lighting.

Another problem that can occur when using power tools or pieces of equipment is the tool being dropped or thrown from the users grip during use. In the event of the user losing control of the tool, the vest cord will automatically disengage from the power tool or piece of equipment. When the vest cord disengages from the power tool, the tool will shut off. Thus, the out of control tool stop running, reducing the hazard.