Automatic on-off vehicle headlight system

• US 5,736,816 A
• Filed: 06/24/1996
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kenneth W. Strenke, Leroy M. Strenke
• Original Assignee: Kenneth W. Strenke, Leroy M. Strenke
• Inventors: Strenke, LeRoy M., Strenke, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US08/669,177
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82, 315/83, 315/77, 315/78, 315/80, 315/156, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/10.8, 307/121, 361/283, 361/285, 361/286, 361/287, 362/61
• US Class Current: 315/82
• 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 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor

Abstract

A control system for automatically turning on and off at least some of the lights of a vehicle, such as an automobile. The control system includes a vacuum switch connected to a vacuum source on the engine. A vacuum delay valve is interposed between the vacuum source and the vacuum switch. When the engine is running, a vacuum produced at the vacuum source will actuate the vacuum switch to close a set of normally open contacts. When the contacts close, a source of electrical power is connected to at least the low beams of the headlights to illuminate the low beams during the operation of the engine without intervention by the driver. The vacuum delay valve ensures that intermittent interruptions of the vacuum at the source, e.g. as might be caused by vehicle acceleration, will not open the vacuum switch when the engine is still running.

Claims

1. A control system for automatically turning on and off at least the headlights of a vehicle, the vehicle having an engine for propelling the vehicle and a manually controlled control system for allowing the driver to manually turn the headlights on and off, which comprises:

(a) a switch for making and breaking an electrical connection between an electrical power source carried on the vehicle and at least one of the beams of the vehicle'"'"'s headlights, whereby the switch is operated by a non-electrical force that is generated only when the engine is running such that the at least one headlight beam is automatically turned on and off when the engine of the vehicle is running or is not running, respectively, without requiring any electrical power for the actuation of the switch;

(b) wherein the switch operates independently of the manually controlled control system for turning the headlights on and off

(c) wherein the non-electrical force is provided by a source on the engine which is subject to intermittent degradation in the value or amount of the force during normal operation of the engine, and further including means interposed between the source of the non-electrical force and the switch for preventing such intermittent degradations in value from affecting the operation of the switch.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the switch is connected to the low beams of the vehicle'"'"'s headlights.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the switch is further connected to the vehicle'"'"'s taillights to automatically turn the taillights on and off along with the at least one beam of the headlights.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the switch is connected to the low beams of the vehicle'"'"'s headlights.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the switch is a pressure operated switch connected to a source of reduced pressure on the vehicle with the reduced pressure source comprising the non-electrical actuating force of the switch.

6. The control system of claim 5, further including a delay valve interposed between the pressure operated switch and the reduced pressure source on the vehicle, the delay valve comprising a reservoir of reduced pressure that prevents intermittent decreases in the reduced pressure at the reduced pressure source from opening the switch for a delay period determined by the capacity of the reservoir.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the delay period is set to be sufficiently long to exceed the intermittent decreases in the reduced pressure that might occur during acceleration of the vehicle.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein the delay period is set to be in excess of forty five seconds.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source comprises an electricity generating coil driven by the engine.

10. A control system for automatically turning on and off at least the headlights of a vehicle, the vehicle having an engine for propelling the vehicle and a manually controlled control system for allowing the driver to manually turn the headlights on and off, which comprises:

(a) a vacuum switch for making and breaking an electrical connection between an electrical power source carried on the vehicle and at least one of the beams of the vehicle'"'"'s headlights, wherein the vacuum switch operates independently of the manually controlled control system for turning the headlights on and off, wherein the vacuum switch is operated by a source of vacuum that is generated by the engine when the engine is running such that the at least one headlight beam is automatically turned on and off when the engine of the vehicle is running or is not running, respectively; and

(b) a vacuum delay valve between the vacuum switch and the vacuum source to provide for continued actuation of the vacuum switch for some period of time after an interruption in the vacuum at the vacuum source.

11. A vehicle having a control system for automatically turning on and off at least some of the lights of the vehicle, the vehicle having an engine for propelling the vehicle, which comprises:

(a) a set of headlights on the front of the vehicle and various running lights on the vehicle including a set of taillights on the rear of the vehicle;

(b) a first manually controlled control system for allowing the driver of the vehicle to turn the headlights and running lights on and off at the driver'"'"'s discretion;

(c) a second control system for automatically turning at least the headlights of the vehicle on and off automatically only in accordance with the operation of the engine and independently of the operation of the first manual control system, wherein the second control system is solely responsive to the operation of the vehicle'"'"'s engine such that the vehicle'"'"'s headlights are always illuminated when the engine is operating regardless of whether or not the first manually controlled control system has been used to illuminate the headlights and regardless of ambient environmental conditions; and

(d) wherein the second control system is actuated by a non-electrical force generated by the engine of the vehicle when the engine is being operated such that the second control system is actuated and remains actuated without consuming any electrical power from an electrical system of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the non-electrical force is a force provided by a source of fluid created by the engine during the operation thereof.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the fluid source comprises a source of air that is at reduced pressure compared to atmospheric pressure.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second control system illuminates the headlights using a source of electrical power that is generated only when the engine is operating.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the electrical power source comprises an electricity generating coil driven by the operation of the engine.

16. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second control system illuminates at least one of the beams of a multiple beam headlight.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second control system illuminates the low beam of the headlights.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second control system illuminates the taillights of the vehicle.