Work lamp on-off control circuit

• US 6,051,931 A
• Filed: 09/21/1998
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: HINO Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takei, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thuy Vinh
• Application Number:
  US09/157,570
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 315/84, 315/77, 315/360, 315/362, 315/79, 315/82, 315/83, 307/10.1, 307/10.7, 307/10.8, 307/141, 307/141.4
• US Class Current: 315/79
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/24 for lighting other areas than only the way ahead
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/30 for compartments other than passenger or driving compartments, e.g. luggage or engine compartments

Abstract

If an ignition switch of a vehicle is ON and the vehicle speed is not zero (i.e., the vehicle is travelling), the lighting of a work lamp is prohibited even if the work lamp operating switch has been set to ON. This ensures that a work lamp does not remain lit by mistake while the vehicle is travelling, and that battery consumption by unnecessary lighting of a work lamp is minimized.

Claims

1. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit for controlling an ON-OFF switching of a work lamp of a vehicle in accordance with a state of an operating switch of the vehicle, said work lamp comprising a lamp for illuminating a rear portion of the vehicle, comprising:

means for receiving signals respectively indicative of the states of said operating switch and an ignition switch and a measurement of vehicle speed; and

means which, when an ignition switch of the vehicle is ON and the vehicle speed is not zero, prohibits the lighting of the work lamp, even if the operating switch has been set to ON.

2. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit according to claim 1, comprising:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened; and

means which, when the ignition switch is ON and the vehicle speed is zero, turns on the work lamp for a period from when the door of the vehicle is opened until it is shut, even if the operating switch is set to OFF.

3. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit according to claim 1, comprising:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened; and

means which, if the ignition switch is OFF and the door of the vehicle has been opened, causes the work lamp to light, and which causes the work lamp to turn OFF when a fixed time interval has elapsed after the door is shut.

4. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit according to claim 1, comprising:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened; and

means which, if the ignition switch is OFF, causes the work lamp to light for a period from when the door is opened until it is shut, provided that a fixed period of time has not been exceeded.

6. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the lamp illuminates white light.

5. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit for controlling an ON-OFF switching of a work lamp of a vehicle in accordance with a state of an operating switch of the vehicle, said work lamp comprising a lamp for illuminating a rear portion of the vehicle, comprising:

means for receiving signals respectively indicative of the state of the operating switch and a lighting switch of a vehicle and measurements of an engine rotation sensor of the vehicle and a speed sensor of the vehicle; and

means which, when an engine rotation sensor of the vehicle indicates that an engine of the vehicle is rotating, said speed sensor of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle speed is zero, and the lighting switch of the vehicle is in the OFF state, prohibits the lighting of the work lamp, even if the operating switch is set to ON.

7. A work lamp ON-OFF control circuit according to claim 5, wherein the lamp illuminates white light.

8. A vehicle comprising:

an operating switch;

an ignition switch;

a vehicle speed sensor;

a work lamp having a lamp for illuminating a rear portion of said vehicle; and

a work lamp ON-OFF control circuit for controlling an ON-OFF switching of said work lamp in accordance with a state of said operating switch, said control circuit comprising;

means for receiving signals respectively indicative of the state of said operating switch and said ignition switch and the vehicle speed measured by said vehicle speed sensor; and

means which, when said ignition switch is ON and the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor is not zero, prohibits the lighting of the work lamp, even if said operating switch has been set to ON.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said control circuit comprises:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened;

means which, when the ignition switch is ON and the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor is zero, turns on the work lamp for a period from when the door of the vehicle is opened until it is shut, even if the operating switch is set to OFF.

10. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the control circuit comprises:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened; and

means which, if the ignition switch is OFF and the door of the vehicle has been opened, causes the work lamp to light, and which causes the work lamp to turn OFF when a fixed time interval has elapsed after the door is shut.

11. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said control circuit comprises:

means for receiving a signal indicative of a state of whether a door of the vehicle has been opened; and

means which, if the ignition switch is OFF, causes the work lamp to light for a period from when the door is opened until it is shut, provided that a fixed period of time has not been exceeded.

13. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the lamp illuminates white light.

12. A vehicle comprising:

an operating switch;

a lighting switch;

an engine rotation sensor;

a vehicle speed sensor;

a work lamp having a lamp for illuminating a rear portion of the vehicle; and

a work lamp ON-OFF control circuit for controlling an ON-OFF switching of the work lamp in accordance with the state of said operating switch, said control circuit comprising;

means for receiving signals respectively indicative of the state of the operating switch and the lightning switch, and measurements of the engine rotation sensor and the vehicle speed sensor; and

means which, when said engine rotation sensor indicates that an engine is rotating, said vehicle speed sensor indicates that the vehicle speed is zero, and the lighting switch is in the OFF state, prohibits the lighting of the work lamp, even if the operating switch is ON.

14. A vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the lamp illuminates white light.