Flashlight and signalling apparatus

Abstract

An emergency flashlight for illumination or signalling comprising an abrasive member and a pyrophoric member. The abrasive and pyrophoric members are mounted for predetermined relative movement against each other to produce and project a stream of self-igniting particles of pyrophoric material abraded from the pyrophoric member. The position of the members and the direction of their relative movement is aligned to present the stream of particles to a light-transmitting combustion zone. As a flashlight, the device includes a reflector having a reflection or focal zone coincident with this combustion zone and constructed to beam the emitted light to the region to be illuminated. The reflector shields the eyes of the operator from the emitted light and from burning particles and, in preferred embodiments, is a uniform surface of revolution to provide a concentrated light beam. The reflector and abrasive and pyrophoric members can be protected by a transparent cover with the enclosed space vented to allow escape of combustion products and admission of oxygen. The pyrophoric member is preferably a rod adapted to be fed along its axis, as it is consumed, by a spring member, to engage the file-toothed rim of a rotating wheel that serves as the abrasive member. In the embodiments shown, the wheel is driven by a hand crank, an air motor and a battery-powered electric motor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.