Light Bar

Abstract

A light bar having an extruded housing with a curved cover portion and a flat back wall and flat side walls with a hollow interior. A circuit board positioned within the hollow interior and separated into a plurality of electrical segments. The circuit board includes a row of white, amber, and red LEDs which are fully encapsulated with an encapsulant within the housing. The ends of the housing are enclosed by end caps. The light bar is electrically connected to the electrical system of the vehicle and is installed using a plurality of adhesively attached clips and is controlled by a control box that interprets the operational signals of practically any commercially available pickup truck and outputs commands that controls illumination of the light bar. The compact size of the light bar facilitates installation of the light bar on practically any commercially available pickup truck.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 : A vehicle light bar, comprising:
 a circuit board positioned within a housing   and having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to transmit light from an outward facing surface of the circuit board;   wherein space between the outward facing surface of the circuit board and an inward facing surface of the housing is filled with an encapsulant thereby sealing the LEDs within the housing; and   wherein the circuit board is electrically separated into a driver side segment and a passenger side segment and the driver side segment and the passenger side segment are independently controllable from one another.   
     
     
         2 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the housing covering the LEDs is formed of a transparent or translucent plastic material. 
     
     
         3 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed of a back wall, a pair of opposing sidewalls and a cover, wherein the cover is formed of a convex curved shape. 
     
     
         4 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein the outward facing surface of the circuit board is black in color thereby minimizing the noticeability of the vehicle light bar when not in operation. 
     
     
         5 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein the LEDs are chip-on-board LEDs. 
     
     
         8 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit board includes three rows of LEDs, wherein at least one row is formed of red LEDs, at least one row is formed of amber LEDs, and at least one row is formed of white LEDs. 
     
     
         9 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the vehicle light bar is between 55 inches and 65 inches. 
     
     
         10 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the vehicle light bar is between 53 inches and 42 inches. 
     
     
         11 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a height of the vehicle light bar is less than ¾ of an inch. 
     
     
         12 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a height of the vehicle light bar is less than 1 inch when one or more clips are attached to the vehicle light bar. 
     
     
         13 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the vehicle light bar is less than ½ of an inch. 
     
     
         14 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the vehicle light bar is less than ¾ of an inch when one or more clips are attached to the vehicle light bar. 
     
     
         15 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 1 , wherein the encapsulant is formed of a flowable plastic injected into space between the outward facing surface of the circuit board and the inward facing surface of the housing. 
     
     
         16 : A method of manufacturing a vehicle light bar, the steps comprising:
 positioning a circuit board having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to transmit light from an outward facing surface of the circuit board within a housing;   filling the space between the outward facing surface of the circuit board and an inward facing surface of the housing with an encapsulant;   sealing the LEDs within the housing; and   electrically separating the circuit board into a driver side segment and a passenger side segment, wherein the driver side segment and the passenger side segment are independently controllable from one another.   
     
     
         17 : The method of  claim 16 , wherein the filling step comprises:
 flowing a first layer of encapsulant over the outward facing surface of the circuit board having a plurality of LEDs; and   allowing the first layer of encapsulant to cure thereby sealing the LEDs of the circuit board prior to positioning the circuit board within the housing.   
     
     
         18 : The method of  claim 17 , wherein the filling step further comprises flowing a second layer of encapsulant into the housing after the circuit board is positioned within the housing. 
     
     
         19 : A vehicle light bar for installation on a vehicle having an electrical system, comprising:
 a circuit board positioned within a housing   and having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to transmit light from an outward facing surface of the circuit board; and   a controller electrically connected to the electrical system of the vehicle,   electrically connected to the vehicle light bar,   and having a microprocessor and memory;   wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the electrical system of the vehicle, interpret the signals received from the electrical system of the vehicle, and in response control illumination of independently controllable segments of the vehicle light bar.   
     
     
         20 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 19 , wherein the controller is further configured to select between colors of LEDs in response to receiving the signals from the electrical system of the vehicle. 
     
     
         21 : The vehicle light bar of  claim 19 , wherein the controller is further configured to select the duration of illumination of LEDs in response to receiving the signals from the electrical system of the vehicle. 
     
     
         22 : A vehicle light bar, comprising:
 a circuit board positioned within a housing   and having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to transmit light from an outward facing surface of the circuit board;   wherein the LEDs are organized in three rows formed of a row of white LEDs, a row of red LEDs, and a row of amber LEDs;   wherein the LEDs are sealed within the housing using an encapsulant; and   wherein the circuit board is electrically separated into a driver side segment and a passenger side segment and the driver side segment and the passenger side segment are independently controllable from one another.