AUTOMATIC VEHICLE LIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DAYLIGHT DRIVING

• US 3,832,597 A
• Filed: 07/23/1973
• Issued: 08/27/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bobby Lee Mitchell
• Original Assignee: Bobby Lee Mitchell
• Inventors: Mitchell, Bobby Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Saalbach, Herman Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grimm, Siegfried H.
• Application Number:
  US05/381,389
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77,80,82,83 307/1LS 240/7.1A
• US Class Current: 315/82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1407 General lighting circuits comprising dimming circuits

Abstract

In an automotive vehicle it is conventional to provide parking lights, and running lights including high beam and low beam headlights, together with a principal light control switch adapted at any time to be set in either an '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'park'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' or a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'running'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' position, and a dimmer switch operable when the principal switch is in running position to choose between high beam and low beam headlights. The present invention includes such a system but combines and coordinates with it supplementary light energizing means for compelling all the running lights to be energized, with the definite exception of the high beam headlights, whenever, day or night, the ignition switch is placed in running position and the transmission is set for forward drive.

Claims

1. In an automotive vehicle designed to operate with energized low beam headlights throughout all operation of the vehicle in a forward direction, day or night, the combination with such conventional features as a. a source of electrical energy, b. driving transmission mechanism including variable transmission control means, c. an internal combustion engine having an ignition system conductively energized from said source through an ignition switch, which switch is manually settable to a closed position for rendering the engine operable or away from that position for rendering the engine inoperable, and d. a conventional lighting system adapted to be energized from said source independently of said ignition switch through a principal, manually settable light switch, which conventional lighting system includes high beam as well as low beam headlights, with said high beam and low beam headlights capable of being rendered alternatively active by the operator when the principal light switch is appropriately set, through a conventional, operator controlled, dimmer switch, which dimmer switch is adapted to be series connected with one terminal of the electrical source through closing of said principal light switch and is adapted to be selectively series connected with the other terminal of the electrical source through either the high beam or the low beam headlights, of e. distinct supplementary novel light control means comprising e1. supplementary light switch means permanently conductively interposed between the ignition switch and the low beam headlights to the exclusion of the dimmer switch and the high beam headlights, and thus rendered capable, when the igNition switch is closed, of rendering the low beam headlights, but not the high beam headlights, active, and e2. means responsive to the setting of the transmission mechanism for operation in any forward gear to activate said supplementary switch means, and thereby to energize, and to maintain energization of, said low beam headlights, so long as the ignition switch remains in its engine operating position, the construction and arrangement being such that the supplementary light switch means are rendered inactive either by the withdrawal of the ignition switch from engine operating position and/or the transfer of the transmission setting mechanism from all forward gear driving settings.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the conventional lighting system includes front parking lights and tail lights, and in which conductive connections are provided in series with the ignition switch and in parallel with the low beam headlights, for causing the front parking lights and the tail lights, if not already turned on, always to be automatically turned on in unison with the low beam headlights by the mere turning on of the ignition switch and the closing of the supplementary switch means.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the driving transmission mechanism is of the automatic transmission drive type and includes a drive selector lever, and the automatic turning on of the low beam headlights is effected whenever, with the engine running, the drive selector lever is placed in any forward drive position.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which the variable transmission control means includes a gear shift lever, movable forward and rearward from neutral to establish selected forward drives, and in which the supplementary switch means includes two switches connected in parallel, one disposed to be closed by the forward movement of the gear shift lever to an available forward drive position and the other disposed to be closed by rearward movement of the gear shift lever to an available forward drive position, so that automatic turning on of the low beam headlights results from the placing of the gear shift lever in any forward drive position.