Vehicle light, windshield wiper control system

• US 5,185,558 A
• Filed: 08/08/1991
• Issued: 02/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles E. Benedict
• Original Assignee: Benedict Engineering Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Stumpf, Donald M., Benedict, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, SON T
• Application Number:
  US07/742,394
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/80, 315/82, 315/83, 315/155, 307/10.1, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 315/80
• 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 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• 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 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0818 including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/087 including an ambient light sensor control of vehicle lights B60Q

Abstract

A vehicle'"'"'s input switches relating to ignition, lights and moisture or rain provide responsive inputs that feed through a digital logic circuit to outputs of an electronic switching device for automatically activating the vehicle'"'"'s lights and wipers.

An alarm may be activated if certain input switches are turned on when the ignition is off.

The digital logic circuit may be discrete, a programmable read only memory (PROM) or a programmable logic array (PLA).

The electronic switching device may constitute a driver circuit and an integrated circuit which includes both a relay switching circuit and a switched circuit, for example a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) driver and a power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOSFET) integrated circuit.

Claims

1. An automatic system in a vehicle having switches for headlights, parking lights and a windshield wiper for controlling the turning ON of vehicle headlights and parking lights, having input switches, when any of the following switch combinations are turned ON:

a) ignition, windshield wiper, light sensor;

b) ignition, and windshield wiper;

c) ignition and light sensor; and

keeping them ON as long as any of such switch combinations are ON, comprising manual ON/OFF switches for the ignition and windshield wiper and a condition responsive switch for the light sensor, a programmable digital logic circuit, an electronic circuit comprising a relay circuit and a relay switch, said relay switch having means for connecting said headlights to power supply means, said relay circuit being alternately connectable to actuating means for said relay switch which governs the connection of said headlights to said power supply means, said power supply means connected to said relay circuit, and control means for the relay circuit, said programmable digital logic circuit connecting the outputs of said ignition, windshield wiper and light sensor switches to the control means for said relay circuit.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the electronic circuit also includes a driver circuit for the relay switch.

3. The system of claim 1, and opto-isolator semi-conductor means between the ignition, windshield wiper and light sensor switches and the relay circuit which isolates the input voltages from the outputs of the semi-conductor means.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the vehicle has an alarm, and in which the digital logic circuit connects the inputs from the ignition, parking lights, headlights and windshield wipers to the alarm, wherein the alarm is activated whenever the parking lights or headlights is activated and the ignition is not activated.

5. The system of claim 1, and a voltage regulator connected to said electronic circuit.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the programmable digital logic circuit is a PROM.

7. The system of claim 1, in which the programmable digital logic circuit is a PLA.

8. The system of claim 1, in which the relay switch is a high side driver and the relay circuit is a power MOSFET.

9. The system of claim 8, in which the digital logic circuit is a PROM.

10. The system of claim 8, in which the digital logic circuit is a PLA.

11. An automatic switching means for controlling the activation of the parking lights and headlights of a vehicle having input switches for the ignition, parking lights, headlights, windshield wipers, moisture sensor and light sensor, comprising, input circuits with inputs responsive to signals from the ignition, parking lights, headlights, windshield wipers, moisture sensor and light sensor, a programmable digital logic circuit connecting the input signals to output circuits, each of said output circuits comprising an electronic switching means connected to the headlights and parking lights, in which the electronic switching means comprises an integrated driver circuit and a relay circuit, each relay circuit comprising an integrated circuit which includes both the relay switching circuit and a switched circuit, a switched circuit connecting to each of the headlights, parking lights and windshield wipers, wherein the headlights and parking lights are activated in accordance with a Truth Table, Table II.

12. The system of claim 11, in which the vehicle has an alarm and in which the digital logic circuit connects the inputs from the ignition, parking lights, headlights and windshield wipers to the alarm, wherein the alarm is activated whenever the parking lights or headlights is activated and the ignition is not activated.

13. The system of claim 11, and a voltage regulator connected to said electronic switching means.

14. The system of claim 11, in which the digital logic circuit is a PROM.

15. The system of claim 11, in which the digital logic circuit is a PLA.

16. The system of claim 11, in which the electronic switching means for the outputs is a high side driver and the relay is a power MOSFET.

17. The system of claim 16, in which the digital logic circuit is a PROM.

18. The system of claim 16, in which the digital logic circuit is a PLA.

19. An automatic system for controlling the activation of the headlight-parking light system and windshield wipers of a vehicle having input switches for the ignition, windshield wipers, moisture sensor and light sensor, comprising input circuits with inputs responsive to signals from the ignition, windshield wipers, moisture sensor and light sensor, a programmable digital logic circuit connecting the input signals to output circuits, each of the output circuits comprising electronic switching means connected to the headlight-parking light system and windshield wipers, in which the electronic switching means comprising an integrated driver circuit and a relay circuit, each relay circuit comprising an integrated circuit which includes both a relay switching circuit and a switched circuit, a switched circuit being connected to the headlight-parking light system and to the windshield wipers, wherein the headlight-parking light system and windshield wipers are activated in accordance with a Truth Table, Table III.

20. The system of claim 19, and a voltage regulator connected to said electronic switching means.

21. The system of claim 19, in which the digital logic circuit is a PROM.

22. The system of claim 19, in which the digital logic circuit is a PLA.

23. The system of claim 19, in which the electronic switching means for the outputs is a high side driver and the relay is a power MOSFET.

24. The system of claim 23, in which the digital circuit is a PROM.

25. The system of claim 23, in which the digital logic circuit is a PLA.