Patents by Inventor Thomas M. Fredericks

Thomas M. Fredericks has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7429917
    Abstract: An embodiment of an LED warning light includes a plurality of LED banks, each including a series of light emitting diodes. LED failure in one or more banks can result in a warning light that appears to be functional, but may not meet relevant standards for light production. The LED warning light monitors current flow through each LED bank to detect failure of an LED and produce a failure signal. The LED warning light includes a microcontroller programmed to evaluate the failure signals and take one or more pre-determined failure mode actions. Failure detection and failure mode actions are defined by program steps taken by firmware running in the microcontroller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Kenneth S. Lemieux
  • Patent number: 7118261
    Abstract: An aircraft position light employs selected colored LEDs to produce a white appearing warning light with a reduced light component in the amplification spectrum of night vision imaging equipment. A combination of amber and cyan LEDs are selected to produce approximately three amber flux units for every cyan flux unit resulting in a white composite light. Both of the selected LEDs have dominant wavelengths of less than 600 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Todd J. Smith
  • Patent number: 7079041
    Abstract: An exemplary aircraft anticollision beacon is constructed around a faceted aluminum support cylinder and base. The support cylinder has an outside surface with ten vertically oriented substantially planar faces. An array of LEDs is mounted in thermally conductive relationship on each face of the support cylinder. Each LED is partially surrounded by a trough-shaped reflecting surface that re-directs off axis light into a horizontal plane. Axially aligned, radially adjacent reflecting troughs combine to form the circumferential reflecting troughs. The support cylinder and base are connected in thermally conductive relationship to define a thermal pathway from the LEDs to a heat radiation surface on the base. The base is also configured to act as a heat sink for heat generating components of the LED driver circuits. The exemplary beacon employs a distributed energizing circuit in which each driver is configured to energize two of the ten arrays of LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Todd J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6844808
    Abstract: Base stations in an outdoor warning siren system monitor the system communication radio frequency to detect the command signals used to activate remotely located warning units. A valid command signal includes a portion identifying the base station generating the signal. When a base station detects a signal bearing its identification, the base station compares the detected signal to its own station ID. If the detected signal matches the detecting station's ID then a system breach is declared. The outdoor warning siren system may respond to a breach by automatically de-activating any alarms activated by the unauthorized signal and/or producing a breach indication to emergency personnel who may respond according to the situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Kenneth S. Lemieux
  • Publication number: 20040212490
    Abstract: Base stations in an outdoor warning siren system monitor the system communication radio frequency to detect the command signals used to activate remotely located warning units. A valid command signal includes a portion identifying the base station generating the signal. When a base station detects a signal bearing its identification, the base station compares the detected signal to its own station ID. If the detected signal matches the detecting station's ID then a system breach is declared. The outdoor warning siren system may respond to a breach by automatically de-activating any alarms activated by the unauthorized signal and/or producing a breach indication to emergency personnel who may respond according to the situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Kenneth S. Lemieux
  • Patent number: 6431728
    Abstract: A warning light has multiple juxtapositioned arrays of light emitting diodes, each of the arrays defining a plane oriented transversely to the parallel axes of the lenses of the diodes comprising the array. The arrays are supported so that the planes defined thereby angularly intersect. The radiation pattern of the light is controlled by selection of the diodes comprising each array and adjustment of the angles of intersection of the array defined planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, James L. Stopa
  • Patent number: 5337082
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for providing information which may be used in making traffic management decisions for limited access highways is disclosed. The method and apparatus employs microwave radar to obtain information bearing signals which are processed to determine the vehicle direction and speed. The apparatus includes the capability of emulating in-the-road or on-the-road sensors to provide output pulse pairs which appear as if generated by switch closures. The method and apparatus also has the capability of providing "wake-up" signals commensurate with a predetermined number of consecutive vehicles which pass a preselected point traveling at an abnormally low speed. Because the method and apparatus are vehicle direction sensitive, the capability of monitoring traffic flow by looking across lanes is also present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: Whelen Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas M. Fredericks
  • Patent number: 5170162
    Abstract: The direction of motion of objects is sampled to determine, in a manner in which substantially avoids false alarms, whether there is object motion in a direction of interest. Systems employing such sampling methodology generate a warning signal in response to a vehicular traffic condition of interest and include at least a pair of motion detectors. Each motion detector processes motion information bearing signals to determine distance traveled in a predetermined time period to minimize false alarms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Whelen Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas M. Fredericks