APPARATUS FOR DECREASING THE INTENSITY OF CAR SIGNAL LAMPS

• US 3,798,460 A
• Filed: 02/12/1973
• Issued: 03/19/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Morimasa Tanaka, Tomohiro Takeda
• Original Assignee: Morimasa Tanaka, Tomohiro Takeda
• Inventors: Takeda, Tomohiro, Tanaka, Morimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hohauser, Herman
• Application Number:
  US05/331,874
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82,83 307/1LS,1R 240/7.1A
• US Class Current: 315/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2603 Attenuation of the light according to ambient luminiosity, e.g. for braking or direction indicating lamps

Abstract

An apparatus for decreasing the intensity of car signal lamps comprises a plurality of signal lamp circuits respectively including pairs of signal lamps such as taillights, stoplights, and turn signal lights, a light intensity decrease-preventing circuit and a switch for a pair of fog lamps. The signal lamp circuits respectively have selector switches and light intensity decreasing resistors. The light intensity decrease-preventing circuit includes a relay coil and a diode connected in series to each other. The switch for fog lamps is connected in parallel to the light intensity decrease-preventing circuit. The selector switches are changed over so that the fog lamps are lighted and the light intensity of the signal lamps is not decreased. Thereby, the fog lamps can be lighted without decreasing the light intensity of the signal lamps. However, the intensity of the signal lamps can be decreased only when the fog lamps are turned off and the lighting switch is closed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for decreasing the intensity of car signal lamps, comprising:

a plurality of signal lamp circuits respectively including pairs of signal lamps such as taillights, stoplights and turn signals, each of said lamps respectively serially connected to a parallel circuit comprised of a leg having a normally closed selector switch and a leg having a light intensity decreasing resistor each of said circuits adapted to be connected to a power source;

a light intensity decrease-preventing circuit comprising a relay coil and a diode appropriately serially connected thereto, said relay coil being operatively coupled to each of said normally closed selector switches for activation thereof when sufficient current flows through said relay coil;

a fog lamp;

a normally opened fog lamp switch serially connected to said fog lamp and said light intensity decrease-preventing circuit being connected in parallel with said fog lamp switch, one end of said parallel connection adapted to be connected to a power source;

whereby said relay coil may be activated when said fog lamp switch is in the normally open position thereby activating said normally closed selector switches operatively coupled to said relay coil and said relay coil being deenergized when said fog lamp switch is closed thereby causing said selector switches to return to their normally closed states.