VEHICLE LIGHT CONTROL AND WARNING INDICATOR SYSTEM

• US 3,581,276 A
• Filed: 03/22/1968
• Issued: 05/25/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Technologies Automotive, Inc. (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Laverne R. Newman
• Inventors: Newman, Laverne R.
• Application Number:
  US04/715,314
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/001 Alarm devices when the motor is stopped and the lights are on

Abstract

An automatic lamp disconnecting system for vehicle lighting systems having a lamp energizing circuit including a normally open relay switch in series with a manual lamp control switch. Magnetic means for closing the relay switch is energized through the vehicle ignition switch and through a separate holding circuit comprising, in series connection, the relay switch, the lamp control switch, and a normally closed thermal time delay switch which has a heating element responsive to energization of the vehicle lamp only when the ignition switch is opened to effect opening of said time delay switch a predetermined time after opening of the ignition switch.

Claims

1. An automatic lamp disconnecting system for an automotive vehicle electrical system having a source of electrical energy, a prime mover controlling system for a vehicle driving prime mover including a prime mover controlling switch connected between the source of electrical energy and a prime mover operating circuit, and a lighting system including an exterior illuminating lamp and a control switch for controlling the flow of current from the source of electrical energy to the illuminating lamp, wherein the improvement comprises:

a relay having normally open contacts and electromagnetic actuating meaNs operative when energized from said source to close said normally open contacts;

a lamp energizing circuit between said lamp and said source including said normally open contacts and said control switch in series connection;

a first relay energizing circuit connecting said relay actuating means to said source through said prime mover controlling switch for energizing said actuating means to close said relay contacts upon closing of the prime mover controlling switch;

a second relay energizing circuit independent of said prime mover controlling switch to maintain the actuating means of said relay energized following opening of the prime mover controlling switch, said second relay energizing circuit connecting the actuating means of said relay to said source and including said relay contacts and said control switch in series connection;

a normally closed time delay switch connected in said second energizing circuit for automatically deenergizing the actuating means of said relay, if energized, a predetermined time after opening of prime mover controlling switch; and

operating means for the time delay switch connected to said second relay energizing circuit and responsive to energization of said second relay energizing circuit only when said prime mover controlling switch is opened to effect opening of said time delay switch a predetermined time after opening of the prime mover controlling switch.

2. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein said time delay switch is of the thermally actuated type including a movable bimetal operated contact and an electric heating element.

3. An automatic lamp disconnecting system for an automotive vehicle electrical system having a source of direct current electrical energy, a prime mover controlling system for a vehicle driving prime mover including a prime mover controlling switch connected between the source of electrical energy and a prime mover operating circuit, and a lighting system including an exterior illuminating lamp and a control switch for controlling the flow of current from the source of electrical energy to the illuminating lamp, wherein the improvement comprises:

a relay having normally open contacts and electromagnetic actuating means operative when energized from said source to close said normally open contacts;

a lamp energizing circuit between said lamp and said source including said normally open contacts of the relay and said control switch in series connection;

a first relay energizing circuit connecting the actuating means of said relay to said source through said prime mover controlling switch;

a normally closed time delay switch provided with an operating winding and means to open the delay switch after a predetermined period of energization of the operating winding;

a second relay energizing circuit connecting the actuating means of said relay to said source independently of said prime mover controlling switch, and including in series connection said relay contacts, said control switch and said delay switch;

a normally closed auxiliary switch controlled by said prime mover controlling switch and arranged to open in response to closing of said prime mover controlling switch; and

an operating winding energizing circuit connecting the operating winding of said delay switch to said source, and including in series connection said relay contacts, said control switch, said delay switch, said operating winding and said auxiliary switch.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 wherein said time delay switch is of the thermally actuated type including a bimetal operated contact and said operating winding is a heating element in a heat transferring relation with the bimetal operated contact.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 wherein said time delay switch is of the thermally actuated type including a movable bimetal operated contact and said operating winding is a heating element in a heat transferring relation with tHe bimetal-operated contact, said operating winding energizing circuit including a variable resistance in series with said heating element for adjustably regulating the current flow therethrough and hence the period of time delay.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 wherein said electromagnetic actuating means includes a magnetic structure having a single coil connected to said source by each of said first and second relay energizing circuits;

said first relay energizing circuit including a first unidirectional conducting element connected in series with said prime mover controlling switch;

said first unidirectional conducting element being poled in a direction to prevent current flow from said source through said second relay energizing circuit to said prime mover operating circuit; and

said second relay energizing circuit including a second unidirectional conducting element connected in series with said delay switch;

said second unidirectional conducting element being poled in a direction to prevent current flow from said source through said first relay energizing circuit to said illuminating lamp.

7. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 wherein said electromagnetic actuating means includes a magnetic structure having a first coil connected to said source by said first relay energizing circuit, and a second coil connected to said source by said second relay energizing circuit, either coil when energized operating to close said relay contacts.

8. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 including a normally open bypass switch connected in parallel circuit with said normally open contacts of the relay, said bypass switch being manually operated for energization of said illuminating lamp independently of said relay contacts.

9. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 including a normally open bypass switch connected in parallel circuit with said prime mover controlling switch, said bypass switch being manually operated for energization of said electromagnetic actuating means independently of said prime mover controlling switch.

10. An automatic lamp disconnecting system for an automotive vehicle electrical system having a source of direct current electrical energy, a prime mover controlling system for a vehicle driving prime mover including prime mover controlling switch connected between the source of electrical energy and a prime mover operating circuit, and a lighting system including a headlamp, a tail lamp and a manually operated multiple position control switch with supply, headlamp and tail lamp terminals for controlling the flow of current from the source of electrical energy to the headlamp and tail lamp, said multiple position control switch having an off position in which said supply terminal is disconnected from the other terminals and an on position in which said supply terminal is connected to said headlamp and tail lamp terminals, wherein the improvement comprises:

a main relay having a set of normally open contacts and electromagnetic actuating means including a coil operative when energized from said source to close said normally open contacts;

a lamp energizing circuit connecting said headlamp and tail lamp to said source through said multiple position control switch including the normally open contacts of said main relay connected between said source and the supply terminal of said multiple position control switch, said lamp energizing circuit further including conductors connecting said headlamp and said tail lamp, respectively, to said headlamp and tail lamp terminals of the multiple position control switch;

a thermal time delay device including a heating element and a normally closed, bimetal-operated delay switch arranged to open after a predetermined period of energization of said heating element;

a first relay energizing circuit connecting the coil of said main relay to said source through said prime mover controlling switch;

a second relay energizing circuit connecting the coil of sAid main relay to said source through said multiple position control switch and the normally open contacts of said main relay and including said delay switch connected between the coil of said main relay and said tail lamp terminal of the control switch;

said first relay energizing circuit including a first unidirectional conducting element connected in series with said prime mover controlling switch and said coil of the main relay to prevent current flow from said source through said second relay energizing circuit to said ignition circuit;

said second relay energizing circuit including a second unidirectional conducting element connected in series with said delay switch and said coil of the main relay to prevent current flow from said source through said first relay energizing circuit to said tail lamp terminal of the multiple position control switch;

an auxiliary relay having a set of normally closed contacts and electromagnetic means including a coil operative when energized from said source to open said normally closed contacts;

a circuit for energizing the coil of said auxiliary relay from said source including a conductor connecting said coil of the auxiliary relay to said prime mover controlling switch in parallel circuit with said prime mover operating circuit; and

a heating element energizing circuit connecting said heating element to said source through said delay switch, said multiple position control switch, and the normally open contacts of said main relay and including said normally closed contacts of the auxiliary relay.

11. The improvement as set forth in claim 10 wherein said heating element energizing circuit includes a variable resistance in series with said heating element for adjustably regulating the current flow therethrough and hence the period of time delay.

12. The improvement as set forth in claim 10 including a normally open bypass switch connected between said source and said headlamp terminal of the multiple position control switch, said bypass switch being manually operated for energization of said headlamp independently of the normally open contacts of said main relay.

13. The improvement as set forth in claim 10 wherein said main relay includes a set of normally closed contacts opened in response to energization of the coil of said main relay, safety relay means having switch means operative when said safety relay means are energized to connect said headlamp directly to said source, and means for connecting said safety relay means to said source including in series connection said prime mover controlling switch and the normally closed contacts of said main relay.

14. The improvement as set forth in claim 10 wherein said auxiliary relay includes a second set of normally closed contacts, an electric warning indicator, and a warning indicator energizing circuit connecting said warning indicator to said source through said normally open contacts of the main relay, said second set of normally closed contacts and the supply terminal of said multiple position control switch.

15. The improvement as set forth in claim 14 wherein said warning indicator energizing circuit includes, in series connection with said warning indicator, a normally open door-actuated switch which is closed upon opening a vehicle door.

16. The improvement as set forth in claim 10 further including an auxiliary lamp, a manually operated auxiliary lamp control switch with supply and auxiliary lamp terminals for controlling the flow of current from the source of electrical energy to the auxiliary lamp, an auxiliary lamp energizing circuit connecting said auxiliary lamp control switch in series with said normally open contacts and said second relay energizing circuit, said auxiliary lamp energizing circuit including a third unidirectional conducting element connected in series with said delay switch and said auxiliary lamp control switch to prevent current flow from said source through said delay switch to said auxiliary lamp.