Vehicle warning devices

• US 4,101,869 A
• Filed: 06/02/1976
• Issued: 07/25/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alert-O-Drive Limited
• Original Assignee: Alert-O-Drive Limited
• Inventors: Henderson, Henning M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Sr., John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowicki, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US05/691,990
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 R, 340/62, 340/52 F, 340/52 H, 340/261, 340/262, 340/377, 340/409, 235/92 AE, 235/92 TF, 235/92 SA, 235/92 PE, 235/92 ET, 235/150.21, 235/150.25, 324/125, 73/71.2, 73/489
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/445 controlled by inertial devices

Abstract

A safety device for use particularly with vehicles embodies a switching arrangement which is closed when excessive accelerative forces are applied thereto. Recording means are included to record "faults" sensed by the device and means are also provided for limiting the number of "faults" recorded by the device during a single prolonged closure of the switching arrangement.

Claims

1. In a device for detecting and recording the occurrence of excessive inertial forces acting on a vehicle, said device having force detecting means actuated when excessive forces are acting on said vehicle, indicator means responsive to said force detecting means for indicating "faults" when said detecting means is actuated, said indicator means including timing means for preventing said indicator means from indicating additional "faults" during a predetermined time interval following the indication of a "fault," the improvement comprising counting means responsive to said indicator means and said detecting means for counting "faults" and for disabling said indicator means from indicating "faults" when the number of "faults" counted during a single actuation of said detector means exceeds a predetermined number.

2. The improvement according to claim 1 further characterized in that said predetermined number is three.

3. The improvement according to claim 1 further characterized in that said counting means includes a flip-flop circuit.

4. The improvement according to claim 1 further including means to reset said counting means in response to termination of the actuation of said detecting means.

5. The improvement according to claim 4 further including second timing means for delaying actuation of said means to reset for a second predetermined time interval following termination of the actuation of said detecting means.

6. The improvement according to claim 5 further characterized in that said second timing means is a resistor-capacitor timing circuit.

7. The improvement according to claim 5 further characterized in that said second predetermined time inverval is approximately 1/2 second.

8. The improvement according to claim 4 further including means for controlling said reset means to prevent reset of said counting means until said termination of actuation of said detecting means persists continuously for a second predetermined time interval.

9. The improvement according to claim 8 wherein said means for controlling is a resistor capacitor timing circuit.

10. The improvement according to claim 8 wherein said second predetermined time interval is approximately 1/2 second.

11. A device for detecting and recording occurrences of excessive inertial forces acting on a vehicle comprising:

detecting means actuated when excessive inertial forces are acting on a vehicle,

indicator means responsive to said detecting means for indicating "faults" when said detecting means is actuated, and

counting means responsive to said detecting means and said indicator means for counting "faults" and preventing said indicating means from indicating "faults" when the number of "faults" counted during a single actuation of said detecting means exceeds a predetermined number.

12. A device as in claim 11 wherein said predetermined number is three.

13. A device as in claim 11 wherein said counting means includes a flip-flop circuit.

14. A device as in claim 11 wherein said indicator means includes timing means for preventing the indication of more than one "fault" for each of a plurality of successive first predetermined time intervals during which said detector means remains actuated.

15. A device as in claim 14 wherein each of said first predetermined time intervals is approximately 3 seconds.

16. A device as in claim 11 further comprising means to reset said counting means in response to termination of the actuation of said detecting means.

17. A device as in claim 16 further comprising means for controlling said reset means to prevent reset of said counting means until said termination of actuation of said detecting means persists continuously for a second predetermined time interval.

18. A device as in claim 17 wherein said means for controlling is a resistor capacitor timing circuit.

19. A device as in claim 17 wherein said second predetermined time interval is approximately 1/2 second.

20. A device as in claim 14 further comprising timing means for allowing said indicator means to be responsive to said detector means to indicate a "fault" only after said detector means remains actuated for a second predetermined time interval.

21. A device as in claim 27 wherein said second predetermined time interval is approximately 0.13 seconds.

22. A device as in claim 14 further comprising means to reset said counting means in response to termination of the actuation of said detecting means.

23. A device as in claim 22 further comprising means for controlling said reset means to prevent reset of said counting means until said termination of actuation of said detecting means persists continuously for a third predetermined time interval.

24. A device as in claim 23 wherein said means for controlling is a resistor capacitor timing circuit.

25. A device as in claim 23 wherein said third predetermined time interval is approximately 1/2 second.

26. A device as in claim 14 wherein said indicator means includes an oscillator circuit which, when activated, oscillates for said predetermined first time interval as determined by said timing means.

27. A device as in claim 26 wherein said oscillator circuit comprises a pair of NOR gates, a first of said NOR gates serving as the input to said oscillator, one input of said first NOR gate being normally low and said oscillator rendered operative when said actuated detecting means causes a second normally high input of said first NOR gate to go low.

28. A device as in claim 27 wherein said counting means prevents said indicator means from counting "faults" by holding said second input normally high when said counter detects that said predetermined number of "faults" has been exceeded during a single actuation of said detecting means.

29. A device for detecting and recording occurrences of excessive inertial forces acting on a vehicle comprising:

detecting means actuated when excessive inertial forces are acting on a vehicle,

indicator mean responsive to said detecting means for indicating "faults" when said detecting means is actuated, said indicator means including first timing means for preventing said indicating means from indicating additional "faults" during a first predetermined time interval following the indication of a "fault",

second timing means for preventing said indicator means from indicating a "fault" until said detecting means remains actuated for a second predetermined time interval,

first counter responsive to said indicator means to count the total number of "faults" indicated,

second counter responsive to said indicator means and said detecting means for counting "faults" and for disabling said indicator means from indicating "faults" when the number of "faults" counted during a single actuation of said detector means exceeds a predetermined number,

means for resetting said second counter in response to termination of said actuation of said detecting means, and

means for controlling said reset means to prevent reset of said second counting means until the termination of actuation of said detecting means persists continuously for a third predetermined time interval.

30. A device as in claim 29 further comprising an alarm circuit responsive to said indicator means for providing an audible indication of a "fault".