VEHICLE MOVEMENT CONDITION SAFETY LIGHT SYSTEM

• US 3,631,390 A
• Filed: 11/21/1969
• Issued: 12/28/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Murphy Thomas S B
• Original Assignee: Murphy Thomas S B
• Inventors: MURPHY THOMAS S B
• Application Number:
  US04/878,608
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• US Class Current: 340/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/44 for indicating braking action or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/54 for indicating speed outside of the vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle has a plurality of stroboscopic lights mounted thereon. An electrical circuit is provided for operating the stroboscopic lights and includes a source of electrical energy as well as speed-responsive switch means which is responsive to the speed of movement of the vehicle for causing the stroboscopic lights to be illuminated in accordance with the speed of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling in a forward direction. Control switch means are provided for selectively operating the stroboscopic lights in different manners in accordance with whether the vehicle is at rest, is in reverse, is to make a left turn, is to make a right turn, or is traveling forward and making no turns.

Claims

1. In combination with a motor vehicle having ground-engaging wheel means, drive means operatively coupled with said wheels including an engine, a transmission and a drive shaft and operative to propel the vehicle forwardly and reversely at varying speeds, and speedometer means including a speedometer cable, and a normal vehicle lighting system including headlights, taillights, stoplights and turn-indicating lights, the improvement comprising safety light means comprising auxiliary stroboscopic light means mounted externally of the rear of the vehicle and including three laterally spaced-apart light means mounted adjacent the left side, the center and adjacent the right side of the vehicle, an electrical circuit for operating said stroboscopic light means, including a source of electrical energy, speed-responsive switch means in said circuit and operatively associated with one of said wheel means, drive shaft and speedometer cable so that said switch means is responsive to the movement thereof, first and second pulse-generating means in said circuit respectively generating pulses at different predetermined constant time intervals, lead means connecting said source with said speed-responsive switch means and said first and second pulse-generating means respectively, additional lead means separately connecting said speed-responsive switch means with each light means, further lead means separately connecting each of said first and second pulse-generating means with all of said light means, individual control switch means for each light means in said additional lead means for selectively energizing each light means, first and second control switch means in said further lead means for selectively energizing all said light means responsive to either said first or second pulse-generating means respectively, one of said first and second switch control means being operative to energize said light means when the vehicle is at rest, the other of said first and second control switch means being operative to energize said light means when the vehicle is in reverse and said individual switch means being respectively operative to selectively energize said centrally located light means when said vehicle is moving forward and making no turn, to selectively energize said respective left side and right side light means when said vehicle is moving forward and turning to either the left or right respectively.

2. A safety light system for a vehicle having a conventional vehicular lighting system including headlights, taillights, stoplights and turn-indicating lights and being especially for use when the vehicle is travelling in open country or on high-speed highways to indicate vehicle movement conditions to operators of following vehicles, and comprising additional and stroboscopic light means mounted at the rear of the vehicle, an electrical circuit for energizing said stroboscopic light means including a source of electrical energy, first and second pulse-generating means in said circuit for pulsing said light means at respectively different predetermined constant time intervals, vehicle speed responsive switch means, and control switch means for selectively connecting said speed-responsive switch means or either of said pulse-generating means with said light means to respectively energize said light means when the vehicle is moving forward, to energize said light means at a time interval in accordance with one of said pulse-generating means when the vehicle is at rest and to energize said light means at a different time interval in accordance with the other of said pulse-generating means when the vEhicle is in reverse.