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US 4,302,748 AGranted
Turn signal and hazard signal control circuit
OwnerLeroy A. Gantinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps including a turn signal circuit to activate the left or right lamp and then automatically deactivate either lamp after a predetermined time period, a hazard signal circuit to flash the left and right lamps simultaneously, a circuit to override the hazard signal circuit to activate the left or right lamp for the predetermined time period and then to reactivate the hazard signal circuit to flash the left and right lamps simultaneously, a circuit to deactivate one of the lamps during the predetermined time period and activate the other lamp, and a circuit to automatically activate the hazard signal circuit when an ignition switch is locked in a park position.
Claims14
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps, comprising:
- (a) turn signal means for activating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp and for then automatically deactivating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp after a predetermined time period;
- (b) hazard signal means for actuating the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp to flash simultaneously;
- (c) means, connected to said turn signal means, for overriding said hazard signal means for activating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp for the predetermined time period and for then automatically activating said hazard signal means to flash the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp simultaneously;
- and
- (d) cross coupling network means, connected to said turn signal means, for deactivating one of the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp during the predetermined time period in response to activating the other of the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp for the predetermined time period.
2 more elements
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps, comprising:
- (a) switch means for selecting the left or the right turn signal lamp;
- (b) first means, connected to said switch means, for actuating the left turn signal lamp to flash on and off;
- (c) second means, connected to said switch means, for actuating the right turn signal lamp to flash on and off;
- (d) first means for automatically inhibiting said first actuating means a predetermined time period after actuating the left turn signal lamp;
- (e) second means for automatically inhibiting said second actuating means a predetermined time period after actuating the right turn signal lamp;
- and
- (e) means for overriding a selected one of the turn signal lamps during the predetermined time period to actuate the other of the turn signal lamps for the predetermined time period, including cross coupling network means for shortening the predetermined time period of one of said first or second inhibiting means and for actuating the other of said first or second inhibiting means.
4 more elements
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps, comprising:
- (a) switch means for selecting the left or right turn signal lamp;
- (b) first means, connected to said switch means, for actuating the left turn signal lamp to flash on and off;
- (c) second means, connected to said switch means, for actuating the right turn signal lamp to flash on and off;
- (d) first means for automatically inhibiting said first actuating means a predetermined time period after actuating the left turn signal lamp;
- (e) second means for automatically inhibiting said second actuating means a predetermined time period after actuating the right turn signal lamp;
- (f) hazard signal means for actuating the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp to flash on and off simultaneously;
- and
- (g) means for automatically overriding said hazard signal means in response to said switch means selecting the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp to flash the selected lamp on and off for the predetermined period.
5 more elements
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps of a vehicle comprising:
- (a) turn signal means for activating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp and for then automatically deactivating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp after a predetermined time period;
- (b) an ignition switch having an off position, an ignition position and a park position;
- (c) means for supplying electrical power through said ignition switch when said ignition switch is in said ignition position or said park position;
- (d) hazard signal means for actuating the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp, including
- (i) means for flashing the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp on and off simultaneously in response to the electrical power;
- and
- (ii) two-state hazard switch means, connected to said ignition switch, for activating said flashing means when said ignition switch is in said ignition position dependent on the state of said hazard switch means and for automatically activating said flashing means when said ignition switch is in said park position independent of the state of said hazard switch means;
- (e) means, connected to said turn signal means, for overriding said hazard signal means for activating the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp for the predetermined time period and for then automatically activating said hazard signal means to flash the left turn signal lamp and the right turn signal lamp simultaneously;
- and
- (f) cross coupling network means, connected to said turn signal means, for deactivating one of the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp during the predetermined time period in response to activating the other of the left turn signal lamp or the right turn signal lamp for the predetermined time period.
7 more elements
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps, comprising:
- (a) switch means for selecting the left or the right turn signal lamp and for providing left turn or right turn logic control voltage signals;
- (b) first oscillator means for actuating the left turn signal lamp in response to the left turn logic control voltage signal;
- (c) second oscillator means for actuating the right turn signal lamp in response to the right turn logic control voltage signal;
- (d) first means for automatically inhibiting said first oscillator means a predetermined time period after actuating the left turn signal lamp, including an RC timing circuit having a capacitor being charged to the voltage of the left turn logic control signal and being discharged over the predetermined period of time;
- and
- (e) second means for automatically inhibiting said second oscillator means a predetermined time period after actuating the right turn signal lamp, including an RC timing circuit having a capacitor being charged to the voltage of the right turn logic control signal and being discharged over the predetermined period of time.
3 more elements
An electronic control circuit for controlling left and right turn signal lamps, comprising:
- (a) turn signal switch means for selecting the left or the right turn signal lamp and for providing left turn or right turn logic control voltage signals;
- (b) a first inverter having an input receiving the left turn logic control voltage signal, and an output;
- (c) a first oscillator connected to said output of said first inverter;
- (d) a first RC timing circuit having a first resistor and a first capacitor connected to said input of said first inverter, said first capacitor being charged to the voltage of the left turn logic control voltage signal and then being discharged through said first resistor over a predetermined time;
- (e) first means, connected to said first oscillator, for actuating the left turn signal lamp;
- (f) a second inverter having an input receiving the right turn logic control voltage signal, and an output;
- (g) a second oscillator connected to said output of said second inverter;
- (h) a second RC timing network having a second resistor and a second capacitor connected to said input of said second inverter, said second capacitor being charged to the voltage of the right turn logic control voltage signal and then being discharged through said second resistor over a predetermined time;
- and
- (i) second means, connected to said second oscillator, for actuating the right turn signal lamp.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.