Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q5/00—Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
  • B60Q1/46—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights or hazard lights

Definitions

• This invention relates in general to an enhanced warning system for vehicles and, more particularly, to one in which a visual warning is added to the auditory warning provided by the horn of a motor vehicle.
• a horn is a very useful device for catching attention.
• a major purpose of this invention is to enhance the warning provided to others on the road when a driver sounds the horn.
• this invention In order to increase the availability of this enhancement, it is an important purpose of this invention to provide the enhancement with a minimum of reconfiguration of the arrangements presently available in a motor vehicle . It is an important purpose of this invention to provide an enhancement of the warning provided by the audible sound of a horn in a context that minimizes additional cost and additional complexity of design. It is known to provide a warning system in which flashing lights are activated upon sounding of the horn. This is shown, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,389,913 issued February 14, 1995. In this patent, when the horn is sounded, latching and time delay relays close to provide power to the high beam head lamps and the backup lamps, through a flasher circuit, to provide visible flashing light signals.
• Parking lamps may also be energized through associated circuitry, if desired, but preferably not through the flasher circuit . It has been found that the flashing of the back-up lamps may provide a miscue to a motorist who is behind the vehicle sending out the alarm signal. That is, it may falsely appear that the vehicle emitting the signal is going to back up. This highlights the importance of selecting signals that will avoid any miscues or false impressions .
• the present invention is directed toward an improved warning system which provides an unambiguous warning signal and that avoids any possible misunderstanding as to the information being signalled.
• an embodiment of this invention employs a latching and delay relay arrangement which responds to the sounding of the horn of a vehicle.
• the latching and delay relays are thrown into an on state which provides a source of power to one or more predetermined lamp circuits for the period to time determined by the delay relay.
• a flasher in series between the power providing latching relay and a relay to the high beam circuit of the head lamps causes the high beam head lamps to flash on and off in synchronism with the flasher.
• the associated relay switches those lamps from their ordinary source of power to the source of power that is provided through the flasher so that they will be in a flashing state.
• the parking lamps are also connected through a relay to the power switch of the latching relay. But the parking lamps are not connected through the flasher so that they are simply turned on if they are off at the time the horn is sounded, and there is no change in their state if they are on at the time the horn is sounded.
• An enable/disable switch permits the operator to disable the system when desired.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the functional arrangement of the system of this invention.
• FIG. 2 is a more specific schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of the system of this invention.
• FIG. 1 indicates the major components of the system in a simplified form which leaves out certain significant features disclosed in greater detail in the schematic diagram of FIG. 2.
• An enable switch 12 permits the driver of the car to either enable or disable the system of this invention. That is, the system of this invention will only operate when the enable switch 12 is closed so that the output from the horn 14 is connected up to the flasher 16 and other elements of the system of this invention.
• FIG. 1 shows the switch 12 in the disable position. When the switch 12 is closed and in the enable position, sounding the horn 12 will close a switch (shown in FIG. 2) which applies energizing power, normally from a 12 volt battery, to the parking lamps 18 and through the flasher 16 to the high beams of the head lamps 20.
• the parking lamps 18 are on, this operation will have no visible effect because they will simply remain on. It is only if the parking lamps are off that they will be turned on by the system. However, by means of relay shown in greater detail in FIG. 2, the high beams of the head lamps 20 will be turned on through the flasher 16. That will occur whether the lamps 20 are in an off state or in an on state when the horn 14 is sounded. This means that the high beams of the head lamps, if on, will start to flash on and off, and if in their off state, will also start to flash on and off .
• FIG. 2 can be more readily understood and will provide a more detailed description of how the system of this invention can be made to operate .
• the enable/disable switch 12 is shown in the open state. It has to be placed into a closed state for the system to be made operative.
• the horn switch 22 closes applying power to the coil of the horn relay 24 thereby closing the switch 24S.
• the closed switch 24S applies power through the diode 26 and the closed enable switch 12 to the coil of the latching relay 28.
• the lower arm of the switch arms 28S provides a latching function and the upper arm of the switch 28S provides power to the parking lamp relay 30 and high beam head lamp relay 32.
• This power is applied to the relays 30 and 32 only if the off delay relay 34 is energized.
• the coil of the off delay relay 34 is energized by the closing of the horn relay switch 24S which closes the switch 34S and thereby provides a ground return for the coil of the latching relay 28.
• This off delay relay 34 is set for a predetermined time during which it stays in its on state after being energized. This predetermined time might be for five seconds. Accordingly, when the horn is sounded and the switch 24S closes, the relay 34 is actuated, the switch 34S closes, and the latching relay 28 is activated to provide power on the line 36 to the relays 30 and 32. But this power is provided for only a predetermined time period, for example, five seconds. After five seconds, the off delay relay 34 automatically opens deenergizing the coil of the latching relay 28 and causing latching relay 28 to switch back to its off state removing power from the line 36 to the relays 30 and 32.
• Power applied to the parking lamp relay 30 switches the relay from the state shown to a state wherein the switch 3 OS switches from the state shown where it connects power from the line 36 to the parking lamps 18. If the parking lamps are already on because of power connected from the existing parking lamp circuit through the switch 3 OS, they will simply remain on by virtue of the switch 30S and no difference will be noted. Thus, in the embodiment of the invention shown, the only effect of the implementation of this invention on the parking lamps will be to turn them on if they are off. More importantly, power from the line 36 is applied to the relay 32 thereby switching the state of the relay switch on 32S from that shown to one where the high beam head lamps 20 are disconnected from the existing high beam circuit and connected to the power line 36 through the flasher 16.
• the high beams of the head lamps 20 will oscillate at a rate determined by the flasher 16 between an off or low intensity level to a full or high intensity level . It should be noted that the low beams of the head lamps 20 are not affected and the existing low beam circuit remains directly connected to the low beams .
• the high beams of the head lamps 20 will switch either from their off state into the flashing state provided by this invention or from their fully on state to the flashing state provided by this invention.
• the embodiment described involves providing actual potential visual indications of a warning situation through use of the parking lamps and high beam head lamps.
• the system could readily be extended or modified to include the flashing and/or turning on of low beam lights, side lights, hazard lights, brake lights, fog lights, or back-up lights. However, those lights are not incorporated into the preferred embodiment indicated above because applicants consider that use of such might produce confusion and/or an inappropriate response.
• braking lights are used to indicate a braking function which, if it does not occur, might provide a miscue that would create a problem or inappropriate reaction on the part of adjacent drivers.
• turn signal are used for a turning function and actuation of them might cause an inappropriate reaction by adjacent drivers.
• back-up lights are used indicate backing up of the vehicle and actuation of them in a flashing state might produce confusion to the driver of the vehicle behind as to whether the signalling vehicle is, indeed, backing up or is merely disabled.
• the high beams of the head lamps are the only lights connected to the flasher upon sounding of the horn.
• the flasher 16 can be changed to vary the flashing rate. Optimum flashing rate would depend upon appreciable experience. For example, a flashing rate of once per second might be too low because a car can move at a decent amount of distance in a second. Perhaps the flashing rate of half a second or a quarter of second might turn out to be an appropriate flashing rate that would provide appropriate flashing without appearing to be just a flicker. A distinct predetermined rapid rate of flashing that comes to be recognized as associated with the response to a horn signal would assist in driver recognition of this warning signal existing.
• FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment in which the latching relay 28 is separate from the relay 32 that connects the flasher 16 to the high beams of the head lamps 20.
• a single relay could be used to perform both functions when one relay arm creates the latching function, a second relay arm provides power to the flasher and a third relay arm switches the high beams of the head lamps from the regular power circuit to the flasher circuit 16.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=25219579

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1998
  • 1998-03-11 AU AU64602/98A patent/AU6460298A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-11 BR BR9808857-2A patent/BR9808857A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-03-11 KR KR1019997007812A patent/KR20000075742A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 1998-03-11 WO PCT/US1998/004853 patent/WO1998040240A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-03-11 MX MXPA99008361A patent/MXPA99008361A/es unknown
  • 1998-03-11 JP JP53979998A patent/JP2002508724A/ja not_active Ceased
  • 1998-03-11 CA CA002281783A patent/CA2281783A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-11 EP EP98910340A patent/EP0968098A4/de not_active Withdrawn

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