Interior lighting delay circuit

A vehicle lamp control system for selectively energizing a vehicle interior lamp from a vehicle battery the combination of circuit means including a relay switch for energizing the lamp, a relay switch control circuit for operating said relay switch closed for maintaining the interior lamp energized when the door is closed, timer circuit means for terminating energization of said lamp after a predetermined delay period, a door light switch module including a housing, means on said housing for clamping said housing on a door edge adjacent a vehicle door lock, a light emitting diode in said housing energizable to illuminate the lock, momentary switch means in said housing operable to simultaneously energize the diode and said interior lamp and to initiate the time delay energization of said lamp, said relay switch control circuit including a first transistor having its emitter connected to a vehicle battery source and means operative to reduce voltage at said emitter when the momentary switch is triggered to condition said first transistor to be conductive from the collector to emitter terminals thereof, said timer circuit means being responsive to conduction of said first transistor and closure of said relay switch to remove base potential from said first transistor at a rate to maintain the relay switch conditioned for the predetermined delay period for maintenance of interior light energization following triggering by said momentary switch means, a vehicle ignition switch, means including a second transistor responsive to operation of the ignition switch to remove base potential from the first transistor when the ignition switch is turned on to immediately turn off the interior light before the vehicle is started and shifted to a drive mode and to thereby immediately extinguish the light at any time in the time delayed period.

A vehicle lamp control system for selectively energizing a vehicle interior lamp from a vehicle battery in response to operation of a door jamb switch selectively opened and closed in response to the door being positioned closed and open, respectively, the combination of:

• first circuit means for energizing the interior lamp when the door is opened, second circuit means including a relay switch for energizing the lamp independently of said door jamb switch, a relay switch control circuit for operating said relay switch closed when said door is momentarily opened for maintaining the interior lamp energized when the door is closed, timer circuit means for terminating energization of said lamp a predetermined delayed period after door closure, said relay switch control circuit including a first transistor having its emitter connected to the vehicle battery source when the vehicle door is closed to maintain the transistor nonconductive and being responsive to the door being opened to condition said timer circuit means to cause the first transistor to be conductive from the collector to emitter terminals thereof, said timer circuit means being responsive to conduction of said first transistor to remove base potential from said first transistor at a rate to maintain the relay switch conditioned for the predetermined delay period for maintenance of interior light energization following door closure, a vehicle ignition switch, means including a second transistor responsive to operation of the ignition switch to remove base potential from the first transistor when the ignition switch is on and the door is closed to turn off the interior light before the vehicle is started and shifted to a drive mode, a door light switch module including a housing, means on said housing for clamping said housing on a door edge adjacent a vehicle door lock, a light emitting diode in said housing energizable to illuminate the lock, momentary switch means in said housing operable to simultaneously energize the diode and said interior lamp and to initiate the time delay energization of said lamp.