Portable and mobile illumination and detection

A mobile illuminating device 101 comprising:

• case means 103 for housing components of said illuminating device;
• and
• within said case means, battery means 307 for providing electrical power,
• coupled to said battery means, circuit means 303, 801 for controlling said electrical power, transducing means 105, 107 for converting said electrical signals from said circuit means into projected illumination, wherein said transducing means is selectively extendable from said case means and retractable substantially into said case means and is selectively positionable for directing said projected illumination onto an area-of-interest;
• coupling said circuit means to said projection means, flexible connector means 327 for electrically connecting said circuit means and said transducing means;
• and
• clamping means FIGS. 6A, 6B for selectively attaching said device to an external object 111, FIG. 2, said clamping means including a first clamp member having at least one first clamping finger extending outwardly from said case means and a biased mount for mounting said first clamping finger to said case means such that pressure on said first clamping finger in a first direction causes the biased mount to exert a force in a second directions substantially opposite to said first direction, and a second clamp member having at least one second clamping finger extending outwardly from said case means in substantially parallel plane to and in a configuration substantially directly opposing said first clamping finger and a selectively movable, automatic locking mount for mounting said second clamping finger to said case means such that said second clamping finger is selectively slidable toward and away from said first clamping finger and wherein when both said first clamping finger and said second clamping finger are in contact with said object, said second clamping finger locks automatically into a releasable position such that said external object exerts said pressure on said first clamping finger, wherein said clamping means hold said device in a substantially fixed position regardless of shape of said external object.

In combination with a mobile illumination apparatus, mounting subsystems comprising:

• a extendible-retractable energy transducer support subsystem, the subsystem having and extendible-retractable support having, at least one transducer head mounted on one end of the support and an ON-OFF switch mounted on a substantially opposite end thereof, such that extending said support along substantially any length of extension range thereof from the apparatus turns said transducer head ON and substantially completely retracting said support into the apparatus turns said transducer head OFF;
• and
• a clamping mechanism, including a first mount having a first range of limited motion in a first plane wherein said first mount is biased against said limited motion in the first plane, and at least one first clamping protrusion extending outwardly in a second plane substantially perpendicular to said first plane, and a second mount having a second range of limited motion in said first plane such that said second mount is selectively movable toward and away from said first mount, at least one second clamping protrusion extending outwardly in a plane substantially parallel to said second plane, and an automatic and releasable locking mechanism such that when said first clamping protrusion is in contact with an object of substantially any shape to which the apparatus is to be clamped and said second clamping protrusion is in contact with said object on a substantially opposite from said first clamping protrusion, said apparatus is automatically releasably locked to said object.