Braking indicator system

• US 5,017,904 A
• Filed: 04/16/1990
• Issued: 05/21/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Chin, Yuen-Kwok, Browne, Alan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUMM, BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US07/509,124
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 340/453, 340/463, 340/467, 340/479, 340/436, 188/1.11, 303/103
• US Class Current: 340/479
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/448 specially adapted for vehicles with ABS

Abstract

A vehicle braking indicator system that provides a continuous lighting of the vehicle stop light under normal braking conditions but causes the stop light to be intermittently lighted at a relatively high frequency when the anti-lock braking system of the vehicle is activated.

Claims

1. A braking indicator system for a vehicle having an anti-lock braking system including an anti-lock electronic control unit, a brake pedal, a stop light lamp mounted on the rear end of said vehicle, an electric circuit including a normally open switch and a normally-closed switch providing for continuous energization of said stop light upon depression of said brake pedal, and means including a square wave generator electrically connected between said anti-lock electronic control unit and said normally closed switch for causing the normally closed switch to provide a flashing signal upon activation of said anti-lock braking system.

2. A braking indicator system for a vehicle having an anti-lock braking system, a brake pedal, a stop light lamp mounted on the rear end of said vehicle, an electric circuit including a normally open switch and a normally-closed switch providing continuous energization of said stop light lamp upon depression of said brake pedal under normal braking conditions, means electrically connected to said normally closed switch for causing said stop light lamp to provide a flashing signal upon activation of said anti-lock braking system, said means including an anti-lock electronic unit providing an output signal from a discrete output port when the anti-lock brake system limits wheel slip of said vehicle, a driver module for receiving said output signal from said electronic control unit and for generating a driving signal, and a square wave generator which upon receiving said driver causes said normally closed switch to open and close at a predetermined high frequency so as to provide said flashing signal of said stop light lamp.

3. A braking indicator system for a vehicle having an anti-lock braking system, a brake pedal and a stop light lamp mounted on the rear end of said vehicle and a sound generating device located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, an electric circuit including a normally closed switch means providing continuous energization of said stop light lamp upon depression of said brake pedal under normal braking conditions and also a normally open switch means for causing said generating device to provide an audible signal to the vehicle driver, means electrically connected to said normally closed switch means and said normally open switch means for causing said stop light lamp to provide a flashing signal upon activation of said anti-lock braking system and simultaneously provide said audible signal to the driver, said means including an anti-lock electronic control unit providing an output signal from a discrete output port when the anti-lock brake system limits wheel slip of said vehicle, a driver module for receiving said output signal from said electronic control unit for generating a driving signal, and a square wave generator interfacing with said normally open switch means and said normally closed switch means so that upon receiving said driver signal, both of said switch means open and close at a predetermined frequency so as to provide said flashing signal of said stop light lamp and said audible signal to said driver.