Flasher and bulb outage circuit therefor

Claim 2

A vehicle direction signalling system comprising a power supply, two pluralities of turn signal lamps each connected to one pole of said power supply, a first lead, a turn signal switch operable in one direction for connecting one of said pluralities of lamps to said first lead and operable in another direction for connecting the other plurality of lamps to said first lead, a coil having an armature, means connecting one terminal of said coil to the other pole of said power supply, a pair of contacts with one of said contacts carried by said armature and connected to the other terminal of said coil, means biasing said armature and one contact to one limit position, a plurality of rotatable gears arranged in a gear train with one gear electrically interconnected with the other contact and carrying said other contact for rotational movement therewith, means including a spring electrically connecting said one gear to said first lead with said spring biasing said one gear and said other contact to engage said one contact in said one limit position to enable the completion of a circuit over said first lead to said coil through said gear and contacts for energizing said coil in response to operation of said switch, an inertia weight interconnected with said one gear through said gear train for rotational acceleration by said one gear in response to either the operation of said armature or the bias of said spring with the momentum of said weight thereafter assisting the rotational mOvement of said one gear, said armature operated on energization of said coil for moving said one contact to another limit position while imparting a rotational movement to said other contact, one gear and inertia weight with the momentum of said weight rotating said one gear and other contact against the bias of said spring to separate said contacts and deenergize said coil whereafter said armature biasing means returns said one contact to said one limit position and said spring dissipates the momentum of said weight and rotates said one gear and inertia weight for reengaging said other contact with said one contact for reenergizing said coil, a fixed contact connected to the other pole of said power supply, means including a spring blade fixed at one end and connected to said first lead, a contact at the other end of said spring blade for engaging said fixed contact, first means fixed to said one gear for rotation in respective directions to engage said blade intermediate said blade ends in response to rotation of said one gear in one direction for engaging said blade contact with said fixed contact to hold said blade between said fixed end and fixed contact to flex said blade and complete a low-resistance circuit to said selected plurality of lamps over said lead to light said selected lamps, and second means fixed to said one gear for rotation in respective directions with said one gear and spaced relative said one gear for engaging said blade at a position spaced from said blade fixed end for separating said blade contact and fixed contact in response to rotation of said one gear in the opposite direction only after said inertia weight is rotating in a corresponding direction to provide momentum to said gear and second fixed means for separating said blade and fixed contacts and open said lamp-lighting circuit for extinguishing said selected plurality of lamps with said second fixed means disengaging from said blade in response to the rotation of said gear in said one direction to enable completion of said lowresistance lamp-lighting circuit.

Claim 3

In the system claimed in claim 1, a second lead, a hazard switch for connecting both pluralities of said lamps to said second lead in response to the operation of said hazard switch, a first current-sensitive winding connected in series with said selected plurality of lamps over said first lead and turn signal switch in said low-resistance circuit, a magnetically susceptible core on which said winding is wound, means operated by said current-sensitive winding in response to the completion of said low-resistance circuit and the failure of one of said selected plurality of lamps for indicating said failure, another current-sensitive winding wound on said core, and means for connecting said other current-sensitive winding in series with said first current-sensitive winding in response to the operation of said hazard switch for lighting both pluralities of lamps in response to the engagement of said blade and fixed contacts for operating said lamp failure indicating means only in the event a plurality of lamps fail to light.

Claim 4

The system claimed in claim 2 in which said failure indicating means comprises means for maintaining said armature coil continuously energized.

Claim 5

The system claimed in claim 2 in which said means fixed to said gear for separating said blade contact and fixed contact comprises an arm integrally formed on said gear having said gear carried contact fixed thereto for engaging said armature contact.

Claim 6

A vehicle direction signalling system comprising a power source, , two pluralities of vehicle turn signal lamps each of low resistance and connected to one pole of said power source, a first lead, a turn signal switch operable in one direction for connecting one of said pluralities of lamps to said lead and operable in another direction for connecting the other plurality of lamps to said lead, a coil having a high resistance to prevent lighting said selected lamps in response to said coil being connectEd over said lead in series with said selected lamps, opposite end terminals for said coil with one of said end terminals connected to other pole of said source of power, an armature for said coil carrying a contact electrically connected through said armature to the other terminal of said coil and pivoted by said armature in response to energization of said coil, a spring biasing said armature and contact toward one limit position, a plurality of engaged rotatable gears arranged in a gear train in which one gear has a greater diameter than the engaged other gear, a second contact formed on said one gear and electrically connected to said one gear, a rotatable inertia weight adapted to be rotated by said one gear in response to rotational movement of said one gear transmitted to each other gear, means electrically connecting said one gear to said lead, means biasing said one gear in one direction for engaging said other contact with said one contact in said one limit position to connect said high resistance coil in series with said selected lamps over said lead for energizing said coil through said contacts in response to the operation of said switch whereby said energized coil pivots said armature from said one limit position toward a second limit position to rotate said one gear against said gear bias in a direction opposite said one direction for rotating said engaged other gear and inertia weight, said armature and one contact terminating movement in response to said armature pivoting to said second limit position whereafter said gears and inertia weight continue movement to separate said one and other contact for deenergizing said coil for enabling said spring bias to return said armature and one contact to said one limit position, said gear bias thereafter returning said one gear in said one direction for reengaging said contacts to reenergize said coil in series with said selected lamps in response to the dissipation of the momentum of said weight and gears, a spring blade cantilever supported at one end from a fixed position and biased in a respective direction, a contact at the other end of said spring blade electrically connected through said blade to said lead and selected lamps, a fixed contact connected to the other pole of said source of power and spaced from said blade contact, an arm on said gear spaced from said blade with the radius of rotation of said arm greater than said arm space from said blade for rotation with said one gear in said opposite direction into engagement with said spring blade intermediate said blade ends for moving said spring blade against the bias of said blade for engaging said blade contact with said fixed contact and thereafter flexing said blade between said fixed end and fixed contact while said engaged blade and fixed contacts connect said selected lamps to the other pole of said power source for lighting said lamps, said arm rotated with said one gear in said one direction for disengagement from said blade to enable said blade and fixed contact to separate for extinguishing said selected lamps, and means fixed to said gear in a position for engaging said blade at a position spaced from said fixed end in response to said gear being rotated in said one direction while said weight is rotated for imparting an additional force separating said blade contact from said fixed contact.

Claim 7

A vehicle direction signalling system comprising a power source, , two pluralities of vehicle turn signal lamps each of low resistance and connected to one pole of said power source, a first lead, a turn signal switch operable in one direction for connecting one of said pluralities of lamps to said lead and operable in another direction for connecting the other plurality of lamps to said lead, a coil having a high resistance to prevent lighting said selected lamps in response to said coil being connectEd over said lead in series with said selected lamps, opposite end terminals for said coil with one of said end terminals connected to other pole of said source of power, an armature for said coil carrying a contact electrically connected through said armature to the other terminal of said coil and pivoted by said armature in response to energization of said coil, a spring biasing said armature and contact toward one limit position, a plurality of engaged rotatable gears arranged in a gear train in which one gear has a greater diameter than the engaged other gear, a second contact formed on said one gear and electrically connected to said one gear, a rotatable inertia weight adapted to be rotated by said one gear in response to rotational movement of said one gear transmitted to each other gear, means electrically connecting said one gear to said lead, means biasing said one gear in one direction for engaging said other contact with said one contact in said one limit position to connect said high resistance coil in series with said selected lamps over said lead for energizing said coil through said contacts in response to the operation of said switch whereby said energized coil pivots said armature from said one limit position toward a second limit position to rotate said one gear against said gear bias in a direction opposite said one direction for rotating said engaged other gear and inertia weight, said armature and one contact terminating movement in response to said armature pivoting to said second limit position whereafter said gears and inertia weight continue movement to separate said one and other contact for deenergizing said coil for enabling said spring bias to return said armature and one contact to said one limit position, said gear bias thereafter returning said one gear in said one direction for reengaging said contacts to reenergize said coil in series with said selected lamps in response to the dissipation of the momentum of said weight and gears, a spring blade cantilever supported at one end from a fixed position and biased in a respective direction, a contact at the other end of said spring blade electrically connected through said blade to said lead and selected lamps, a fixed contact connected to the other pole of said source of power and spaced from said blade contact, an arm on said gear spaced from said blade with the radius of rotation of said arm greater than said arm space from said blade for rotation with said one gear in said opposite direction into engagement with said spring blade intermediate said blade ends for moving said spring blade against the bias of said blade for engaging said blade contact with said fixed contact and thereafter flexing said blade between said fixed end and fixed contact while said engaged blade and fixed contacts connect said selected lamps to the other pole of said power source for lighting said lamps, said arm rotated with said one gear in said one direction for disengagement from said blade to enable said blade and fixed contact to separate for extinguishing said selected lamps, and means fixed to said gear in a position for engaging said blade at a position spaced from said fixed end in response to said gear being rotated in said one direction while said weight is rotated for imparting an additional force separating said blade contact from said fixed contact.

Claim 8

In the system claimed in claim 5, one generally planar card of electrically insulating material fixedly carrying said fixed contact and a plurality of terminals for connection respectively to said lamps over said lead and to said power source, a second generally planar card of electrically insulating material fixed in spaced relationship to said one card with said weight and gears each rotatably supported at respective spaced-apart positions by said cards for rotation about respective parallel axes and said coil located adjacent the side of said second card opposite said one card and having an elongate axis perpendicular to the axes of said gears and Weight for pivoting said armature contact along an arc lying in a plane passing intermediate the ends of the coil diameter, and means integrally formed on said gear for locating said gear contact in said plane for rotation along an arc in said plane intersecting said armature contact arc.