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US 4,081,634 AGranted
Turn signal assembly self-cancelling means and override means
AssigneeNartron Corporation
InventorDale L. Bull
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeNartron Corporation
InventorDale L. Bull
Estimating the term…
A manually actuatable electrical switch assembly, employable as, for example, a turn signal and emergency warning switch assembly for automobiles, trucks or the like, has a main body or housing carrying electrically openable circuit means the opening of which is controlled by manually rotatable handle means selectively manually positionable to any of a plurality of selected positions to thereby open and close related electrical circuit means leading to associated sensory warning means; motion transmitting lever means, carried by an adapter body which is operatively secured as between the main body or housing and a cooperating vehicular steering column housing, is effective to cooperate with first abutment means, moved in response to turning of the associated vehicular steering wheel, to transmit a force to second abutment means, operatively carried by the handle means, in order to thereby be effective to at least at times move said handle means from a previously selected position to a position which might be considered as a null position; and escapement-like means are provided whereby the first and second abutment means can engage and move past each other without causing the handle means to move from a previously selected position if such handle means is manually held in such selected position.
A turn signal switch and assembly for an associated vehicle having manually controlled vehicular steering gear means and steering gear column housing means, comprising turn signal switch housing means for enclosing and containing actuatable electrical switching members therein, rotatable selector lever means carried by said switch housing means generally externally thereof, said selector lever means being selectively manually rotatably positionable into a neutral position and any of a plurality of operating positions as to thereby accordingly actuate said switching members within said switch housing means, abutment means operatively carried by said selector lever means as to be situated externally of said switch housing means, motion transmitting means situated generally externally of said switch housing means and having a first portion in operative juxtaposition to said abutment means, said motion transmitting means further comprising a second portion adapted to be at times operatively engaged by actuating means moving in response to indicia of said steering gear means being actuated to steer said associated vehicle in a non-linear path, said actuating means being effective when said selector lever means has been selectively positioned in one of said operating positions corresponding to a left-turn operation of said associated vehicle and when said steering gear means is being actuated in a right-turn direction to engage said motion transmitting means and thereby forcibly cause said motion transmitting means to react against said abutment means to thereby cause said selector lever means to be rotated from said one of said operating positions to said neutral position, and support body means situated externally of said switch housing means, said support body means being separate from said switch housing means and effective to support said motion transmitting means, said support body means comprising first mounting surface means effective for operative mounting engagement with said column housing means externally thereof and second mounting surface means effective for operative mounting engagement with said switch housing means as to thereby position said switch housing means externally and eccentrically of said column housing means, said motion transmitting means and said actuating means cooperatively comprising escapement means enabling said selector lever means to be manually held and maintained in said one of said operating positions even when said steering gear means is actuated in said right-turn direction a distance exceeding that which results in engagement as between said actuating means and said motion transmitting means.
The combination of vehicle steering gear means, a manually positionable steering wheel means operatively connected to said steering gear means, steering gear housing means enclosing at least a portion of said steering gear means, a vehicular turn signal switch assembly for causing an indication of the intended direction of travel of said vehicle, said turn signal switch assembly comprising switch housing means totally enclosing related actuatable electrical switching elements which when actuated in a preselected manner serve to complete related electrical circuit means leading to associated sensory warning devices, selector lever means carried by said switch housing means generally externally thereof, said selector lever means being manually movable to selected operating positions and to a selector lever null position, said selector lever means being effective upon being moved to and from said selected operating positions to actuate said switching elements and to thereby complete and open said related electrical circuit means, an actuator member operatively fixedly connected to said steering wheel means and rotatable therewith about the longitudinal axis of said steering gear housing means, a mounting body for said switch housing means, said mounting body having first mounting surface means adapted for operatively engaging the outer surface of said steering gear housing means, said mounting body having second mounting surface means generally opposite to said first mounting surface means for operatively engaging an outer surface of said switch housing means, an actuator lever situated totally externally of said switch housing means and pivotally carried by said mounting body, said actuator lever having a first arm portion positionable as to be engageable by said actuator member, said actuator lever being effective when engaged by said actuator member and when said selector lever is in one of said selected operating positions to operatively engage and forcibly move said selector lever from said one of said selected operating positions to said selector lever null position, and resilient means effective for at other times permitting said actuator member to be deflected by and pass past said first arm portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.