Safety device for automobile vehicles and the like

Claim 1

Safety device for manually operable apparatus such as an automobile vehicle, which apparatus comprises electrically actuable starting means and requires a desired reflex actioN by an operator for the satisfactory operation thereof, said device comprising a manually actuatable first switch, means for producing a perceptible signal after a certain time interval from actuating said first switch, a manually actuable second switch, circuit means for actuating said starting means only when the second switch is actuated within a selected interval of time after production of said perceptible signal, a first thyristor connected in series between said first switch and said starting means, the control lead of said thyristor being connected in series via a first contact of said second switch with the emitter-collector lead of a first transistor, the base of said first transistor being fed via a first R-C time-constant by the emitter-collector lead of a second transistor, said emittercollector lead of the second transistor also controlling via a second contact of said second switch a device for producing a perceptible signal, the base of said second transistor being connected in series with a second R-C time-constant with said first switch, the first and second contacts of said second switch being coupled so that when one of said first and second contacts is open the other is closed.