Head lamps control system for use on vehicles

• US 4,558,260 A
• Filed: 05/03/1984
• Issued: 12/10/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford New Holland, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Masegi, Mitsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Harold
• Application Number:
  US06/606,686
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82, 315/77, 315/149, 307/10 LS
• US Class Current: 315/82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/14 Other vehicle conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light

Abstract

A head lamps control system for use on a vehicle for turning on and off the head lamps of the vehicle according to the brightness of the outside of the vehicle, in which a flip flop circuit is set upon closing of an ignition switch and in this set condition it receives power from a DC power source of the vehicle via a fuse to make on-off control for the head lamps in accordance with a signal provided from a photosensor which detects the outside brightness. To the above fuse is connected a load other than this system, and in the event the above fuse opens due to some trouble of such load, power can be fed to this system from a power supply path via the ignition switch, to prevent the head lamps from suddenly going off.

Claims

1. A head lamps control system for use on a vehicle, comprising:

(a) head lamps of the vehicle;

(b) a DC power source of the vehicle;

(c) a first load adapted to receive power from said DC power source via an ignition switch and a first fuse;

(d) a flip flop circuit adapted to receive at an input terminal thereof a supply voltage fed to said first load and produce a supply voltage retaining signal from an output terminal thereof;

(e) a second load adapted to receive power from said DC power source via a second fuse;

(f) A first diode with anode connected to the input terminal of said flip flop circuit;

(g) a second diode with anode connected to a power supply line between said second fuse and said second load and with cathode connected to the cathode of said first diode;

(h) an auxiliary power supply means adapted to operate upon receipt at a control terminal thereof the supply voltage retaining signal from said flip flop circuit, receive at an input terminal thereof the supply voltage from said DC power source via the cathode of said first and second diodes and output this supply voltage;

(i) a detector means for detecting a quantity of light around the vehicle and producing a detected signal;

(j) an output signal generating means adapted to operate upon receipt of the supply voltage from said auxiliary power supply means and generate an output signal upon judging that the outside of the vehicle is dark on the basis of the detected signal provided from said detector means; and

(k) a drive means for turning on the head lamps in response to the output signal from the output signal generating means.

2. A head lamps control system for use on a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a reset means for resetting said flip flop circuit so that the reset timing is capable of shifting from the timing at which said ignition switch turns off.

3. A head lamps control system for use on a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said reset means is a door switch.

4. A head lamps control system for use on a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said auxililary power supply means comprises a transistor adapted to receive at the base thereof the supply voltage retaining signal from said flip flop circuit and with emitter connected to the cathodes of said first and second diodes, as well as a resistor and a Zerner diode which are connected in series with the collector of said transistor, with the supply voltage being output from the junction between said resistor and said Zener diode.