RUNNING LIGHTS AND DIFFERENTIAL PARKING SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES

• US 3,704,446 A
• Filed: 02/09/1970
• Issued: 11/28/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vincent J. Walter
• Original Assignee: Vincent J. Walter
• Inventors: Walter, Vincent J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Waring, Alvin H.
• Application Number:
  US05/009,838
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52,54,55,74,81,84 315/77,82,129 200/5,6,8,9
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/442 visible on the front side of the vehicle, e.g. for pedestrians

Abstract

A system and alternate companion systems for visually signaling pedestrians and other motorists that the electrical ignition apparatus of the motor of a vehicle is electrically energized, whereby such persons may be apprised in the interest of safety, whether or not a condition exists that is essential to motor operation. The system entails visual signaling lamps directed outwardly from all sides of the vehicle that are in electrical parallel with the electrical ignition apparatus, voltage regulator or alternator, so as to be concurrently energized therewith. The system optionally includes means for interrupting energization of the electrical ignition apparatus and the lamps immediately prior to and after rotating the motor for starting purposes, such means preferably being incorporated in a conventional multipurpose so-called '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'ignition switch'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' and operative to burnish an electrical contact of the latter during an actuating movement thereof.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle of the type wherein the motor thereof includes an electrical ignition system, with such system including a primary ignition circuit comprised of a breaker switch and a primary ignition coil in electrical series, and a battery and an ignition switch in electrical series for selectively supplying the electrical potential of the battery to the electrical series arrangement of the breaker switch and the primary coil, and wherein the vehicle is provided with conventional electric headlamps and electric tail lamps;

an improvement in the character of means for affording an unequivocal visual indication in the vicinity of the vehicle that the ignition switch thereof is on, with such means comprising electrical lamp means independent of the headlamps and the tAil lamps mounted on the vehicle operative in response to electrical energization thereof to direct light outwardly from the vehicle and thereby to be visible from an external position remote from the vehicle, said lamp means being connected to the primary ignition circuit in electrical parallel with the electrical series arrangement of the breaker switch and the primary coil for concurrent energization with the latter, whereby a visual indication can be given to persons remote from the vehicle that the ignition circuit of the vehicle is energized.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lamp means includes a lamp disposed on the vehicle to direct light rearwardly from the vehicle.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lamp means includes a lamp disposed on the vehicle to direct light forwardly from the vehicle.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lamp means is disposed on the vehicle to direct light both forwardly and rearwardly from the vehicle.

5. The combination of claim 1, including electrical means for starting the motor, said means for starting the motor including a starter solenoid inclusive of an electrical solenoid circuit switch, and a manually movable switch actuating means operatively connecting the ignition switch and the solenoid circuit switch for synchronized actuation of such switches, said manually movable switch actuating means being movable between first and second positions through an intermediate position, with solely the ignition switch being closed, both of said switches being open, and both of said switches being closed when said switch actuating means is respectively in said first, intermediate and second positions, whereby said lamp means is energized when the switch actuating means is in its first and second positions, and is deenergized when such means is in its intermediate position to thereby effect a visual indication of the vehicle operator initiating motor operation by blinking of the lamp means.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said ignition switch, said solenoid switch and said actuating means therefor is a rotary switch comprising a fixed contactor plate of electrically insulating material, exposed battery, ignition and solenoid contactor segments embedded in said plate, a rotatable bridging member at one side of the plate, said member being of electrically conductive material and having portions thereof in sliding contact with the contact plate, with said segments and said portions of the bridging member being so constructed and arranged that said bridging member is spaced from the solenoid segment while concurrently contacting the battery and ignition segments, is spaced from the ignition segment, and is in contact with all three of said segments when the actuating means is respectively in its first, intermediate and second positions, and switch terminals on the other side of the plate and connector to the segments through the plate.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein an exposed burnishing element is located in the contactor plate and is disposed to be slidably engaged by one of the portions of the bridging member during movement of actuating means through the intermediate position whereby such portion is burnished.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein said element is electrically insulative.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein the element is embedded in the ignition segment in an arrangement such as to effect the recited spacing of the bridging member and the ignition segment when the actuator means is in its intermediate position, for momentary deenergization to thereby effect a visual lamp blinking indication to persons remote from the vehicle that the operator is attempting to initiate motor operation.

10. In combination with a rotary-type ignition switch such as employed in conjunction with the electrical ignition and electrical starter systems of automotive vehicles and of the type including a fixed plate of electrically insulative material in which are embedded exposed battery, iGnition and solenoid segments that are arranged to be contacted by portions of a rotary bridging member for selectively electrically isolating the battery segment from both of the other segments, electrically coupling the battery segment to the ignition segment while electrically isolating the same from the solenoid segment, and electrically coupling the battery member is successively rotated through first, second and third angular position ranges;

the combination therewith of means for electrically isolating the battery segment from the ignition segment when the bridging member is disposed within an intermediate angular portion of the second positional range of the bridging member.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the last said means comprises an exposed element of electrically insulative material embedded in the ignition segment.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein the embedded element is disposed to be slidably engaged by bridging member and includes an abrasive for burnishing said member.

13. In an automobile of the type wherein there is provided conventional electrical headlamps and electrical tail lamps, and wherein there is an internal combustion engine for propulsion, such engine including an electrical ignition system that must be energized by electrical connection to a source of direct electric current for the engine to be enabled to operate, and wherein ignition switch means is provided in electrical series with a source of direct electric current for selectively connecting the ignition system to the source of direct electric current for selectively energizing the ignition system;

the combination therewith of electric signal lamp means on the automobile for producing and directing light outwardly from the automobile when electrically energized and said signal lamp means being connected in electrical parallel with the ignition system and in electrical series with the ignition switch means and the source of direct electric current, whereby selective operation of the ignition switch means to connect the ignition system to the source of direct current also serves to connect the lamp means to the source of direct current for energization of the latter to thereby visually signal to observers remote from the automobile that the engine is enabled to operate.

14. The combination of claim 13, including a second electric switch means for selectively connecting the lamp means to the source of direct current, and means for preventing an operative electrical connection of the ignition system to the source of direct electric current by the second electric switch means, whereby the signal lamps can be energized without energization of the ignition system.

15. The combination of claim 14, including third electric switch means for selectively connecting said electrical headlamps to said source of direct electric current, and means operatively interconnecting the second and third switch means for causing the second switch means to connect the lamp means to the source of direct electric current when the third switch means connects the electrical headlamps to the source of direct electric current.

16. In an automobile of the type wherein there is an internal combustion engine for propulsion, such engine including an electrical ignition system that must be energized by electrical connection to a source of direct electric current for the engine to be enabled to operate, and wherein a multifunction ignition switch means having a common manual control is provided, with said common control being manually positionable in a plurality of positions, and the ignition switch means having a plurality of terminals including a battery terminal, an accessory terminal, and an ignition terminal with the latter connected to the ignition system for energization of the latter;

said ignition switch means being operative (a) to prevent electric current flow therethrough between the battery terminal and either of the accessory and the ignition terminals when the manual control is in A first position, (b) to prevent an electric current there-through between the battery terminal and the ignition terminal while establishing an electric connection therethrough between the battery terminal and the accessory terminal when the manual control is in a second position, and (c) to establish electric connections therethrough between the battery terminal and each of the accessory and ignition terminals when the manual control is in a third position;

a grounded electric storage battery having one terminal connected to said battery terminal and constituting the source of direct electric current, said ignition system being electrically connected to the ignition terminal for electrical energization therefrom;

the combination therewith of electric signal lamp means on the automobile for producing and directing light outwardly from the automobile when electrically energized, and said signal lamp means being electrically connected to the accessory terminal for electrical energization therefrom when the manual control is in its said second and third positions.

17. The combination of claim 16, including a second electric switch means electrically connected between said terminal of the battery and the signal lamp means for electrically energizing the signal lamp when the second electric switch means is closed.

18. The combination of claim 17, including means for preventing the flow of electric current between the terminal of the battery and the accessory terminal through the second electric switch means. 19 In an automobile of the type that includes an engine for propulsion and an electric storage battery together with means driven by the engine for charging the battery;

the combination therewith of electric signal lamp means on the automobile, means connecting the signal lamp means to the means for charging the battery for energizing the signal lamp means, and means for preventing energization of the signal lamp means from the storage battery, whereby the signal lamp means are energized when and solely when the engine is operating.

20. The combination of claim 19, wherein the automobile is of the type including a voltage regulator and wherein the means for charging the battery includes a direct electric current generator, with the means for preventing energization of the signal lamp means being constituted of the voltage regulator.

21. The combination of claim 19, wherein the automobile is of the type wherein the means for charging the battery includes an alternator having a rectified current output, with the means for preventing energization of the signal lamp means comprising a diode interposed between the battery and the connection of the signal lamp means to the alternator.

22. In an automobile of the type including an internal combustion engine for the propulsion thereof, with such engine being effective on initiation of operation thereof to initiate the existence of a physical condition that continues during engine operation, with cessation of engine operation being effective to terminate existence of such physical condition;

the combination therewith of normally open electric switch means, sensing means for closing the electric switch means during the existence of said physical condition, electric signal lamp means on the automobile for producing and directing light outwardly from the automobile during energization thereof, and a source of direct electric current, said source, switch means and signal lamp means being in electrical series.

23. The combination of claim 13, including a second electric signal lamp means on the automobile for producing and directing light outwardly from the automobile when electrically energized, and electric circuit means including an electric control switch for selectively energizing the second electric signal lamp means from the source of direct electric current.

24. The combination of claim 23, wherein each of said lamp means includes a plurality of electric incandescent filament lamps, a pair of lamp clusters disposed at spaced positions about the periphery of the automobile, with each of said clusters being comprised of a pair of electric incandescent filament lamps, one of such pair of lamps being of the first mentioned signal lamp means and the other of the second signal lamp means.

25. The combination of claim 24, including left turn electric signal means including an electric incandescent filament lamp with means for selectively energizing such lamp from the source of direct electric current, a right turn electric signal means including an electric incandescent filament lamp with means for selectively energizing such lamp from the source of direct electric current, one of said pair of clusters including a lamp of the left turn signal means, and the other cluster including a lamp of the right turn signal means.

26. The combination of claim 19, including a second electric signal lamp means on the automobile for producing and directing light outwardly from the automobile when electrically energized, and electric circuit means including an electric control switch for selectively energizing the second electric signal lamp means.

27. The combination of claim 26, wherein each of said lamp means includes a plurality of electric incandescent filament lamps, a pair of lamp clusters disposed at spaced positions about the periphery of the automobile, with each of said clusters being comprised of a pair of electric incandescent filament lamps, one of such pair of lamps being of the first mentioned signal lamp means and the other of the second signal lamp means.

28. The combination of claim 27, including left turn electric signal means including an electric incandescent filament lamp with means for selectively energizing such lamp, a right turn electric signal means including an electric incandescent filament lamp with means for selectively energizing such lamp, one of said pair of clusters including a lamp of the left turn signal means, and the other cluster including a lamp of the right turn signal means.