Lighting control circuit for vehicle brake light/tail light/indicator light assembly

• US 5,767,589 A
• Filed: 09/03/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maximum Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maximum Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Lake, Robert C., Sheehan, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US08/707,105
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/10.8, 315/77, 340/463, 340/465, 340/468, 340/469, 340/475, 340/479
• US Class Current: 307/10.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1407 General lighting circuits comprising dimming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/30 for indicating rear of vehicle, e.g. by means of reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/38 using immovably-mounted light sources, e.g. fixed flashing lamps
• 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

Abstract

According to the present invention, a lighting control circuit is provided in which various logic gates, transistors and other smaller-scale circuit elements are combined. The circuit receives as inputs the control signals from the vehicle, including the left and right indicator signals, the brake signal and the tail light signal. Each of these signals is fed into a first bank of logic gates whose outputs are supplied to a second bank of logic gates, whose output is in turn supplied to two transistors, each connected to a separate single filament bulb, one for the left side of the vehicle and the other for the right side.

Claims

1. A control circuit for vehicle indicator lamps, comprising:

a first XOR gate having a first input responsive to a left-turn signal, a second XOR gate having a first input responsive to a right-turn signal, said first and second XOR gate each having a second input responsive to a brake signal, and a third XOR gate having a first input responsive to a tail light signal;

an oscillator circuit responsive to an output of said third XOR gate;

a first NOR gate having a first input responsive to an output of said first XOR gate, a second NOR gate having a first input responsive to an output of said second XOR gate, said first and second NOR gates each having a second input responsive to an output of said oscillator circuit; and

a first transistor responsive to an output of said first NOR gate, and a second transistor responsive to an output of said second NOR gate;

wherein an output of said first transistor provides electrical current to a first vehicle indicator lamp, and an output of said second transistor provides electrical current to a second vehicle indicator lamp.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said first vehicle indicator lamp is a left turn/brake signal bulb, and said second vehicle indicator lamp is a right turn/brake signal bulb.

3. The circuit of claim 2 wherein said left turn/brake signal bulb and said right turn/brake signal bulb are single-filament bulbs.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said oscillator circuit is a gated oscillator circuit.

5. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said transistors are P-channel transistors.

6. The circuit of claim 1 further including:

a first diode, connected to said left-turn signal and to said first vehicle indicator lamp; and

a second diode, connected to said right-turn signal and to said second vehicle indicator lamp.

7. The circuit of claim 1 further including:

a first diode, connected to said left-turn signal and to a resistive load to ground; and

a second diode, connected to said right-turn signal and to said resistive load to ground.

8. The circuit of claim 7 further including:

a timing circuit, connected between said resistive load and ground, for subsequently disconnecting said resistive load from ground at a predetermined interval.

9. A lighting control circuit for a vehicle comprising:

means for accepting control signals from the vehicle, including turn indicator signal, braking signal and tail light signal; and

producing at least one output signal, said output signal for providing electric current to a vehicle indicator lamp;

wherein a tail light signal alone produces a half current output signal;

a braking signal without a turn indicator signal produces a full current output signal;

a turn indicator signal without a tail light signal produces an alternating full current/no current output signal; and

a turn indicator signal with a tail light signal produces an alternating full current/half current output signal.

10. The lighting control circuit of claim 9 wherein said means for accepting control signal from the vehicle includes accepting two turn indicator signals, and producing two output signals, said first output signal is responsive to a first turn indicator signal, said braking signal and said tail light signal as claimed in claim 9;

and said second output signal is responsive to a second turn signal indicator, said braking signal and said tail light signal as claimed in claim 9.

11. The lighting control circuit of claim 10 wherein said first turn indicator signal is a left turn indicator signal, said second turn indicator signal is a right turn indicator signal, said first output signal provides current to a left tail light, and said second output signal provides current to a right tail light.

12. The lighting control circuit of claim 10 wherein said means for accepting control signals and producing at least one output signal is performed by a microcontroller.

13. A lighting control circuit for a vehicle comprising:

logic gates and transistors;

control signals from the vehicle, including left and right indicator signals, a brake signal and a tail light signal, each of said indicator signals, brake signal and tail light signal is fed into a first bank of said logic gates whose outputs are connected to a second bank of said logic gates, whose outputs are in turn supplied to two of said transistors, each connected to a separate bulb, one for the left side of the vehicle and the other for the right side of the vehicle.