CA1037550A - Door lock lighting system - Google Patents
Door lock lighting systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA1037550A CA1037550A CA228,865A CA228865A CA1037550A CA 1037550 A CA1037550 A CA 1037550A CA 228865 A CA228865 A CA 228865A CA 1037550 A CA1037550 A CA 1037550A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- door
- opening mechanism
- switch means
- light
- door lock
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B17/00—Accessories in connection with locks
- E05B17/10—Illuminating devices on or for locks or keys; Transparent or translucent lock parts; Indicator lights
-
- 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
- B60Q1/2661—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 mounted on parts having other functions
- B60Q1/2669—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 mounted on parts having other functions on door or boot handles
-
- 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
- B60Q3/00—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
- B60Q3/80—Circuits; Control arrangements
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Arrangements Of Lighting Devices For Vehicle Interiors, Mounting And Supporting Thereof, Circuits Therefore (AREA)
Abstract
- DOOR LOCK LIGHTING SYSTEM -Abstract of the Disclosure:
A motor vehicle door lock lighting system wherein actuation of the door opening mechanism momentarily activates the passenger compartment courtesy lights and supplemental lights on the doors for illuminating the door lock key slots, thereby permitting visual inspection of the inside of the car without opening the door, illuminating the key slot for easy key insertion, and preventing battery run down due to jamming of the door opening mechanism.
A motor vehicle door lock lighting system wherein actuation of the door opening mechanism momentarily activates the passenger compartment courtesy lights and supplemental lights on the doors for illuminating the door lock key slots, thereby permitting visual inspection of the inside of the car without opening the door, illuminating the key slot for easy key insertion, and preventing battery run down due to jamming of the door opening mechanism.
Description
* ~ r ~ n ~
The present invention relates to door lock lights and, in particular, to a door lock lighting system wherein actuation of the vehicle door opening mechanism illuminates the vehicle . interior and the door lock~.
Door lock lights for motor vehicles have been previously proposed for providing illumination of the door lock ; key slot to facilitate key insertion during darkness~ These arrangements have taken the form of a light, generally housed in the door handle~ which is energized when the door opening mechanism i9 ac~uated and illuminates the door locX key slots as long as the mechanism is activated.
~ The present invention improves upon these basic ` syst~ms by providing a lighted door lock system which, in addition to illuminating the door lock key slots, also activates vehicle interior lights for a predetermined period after ;.~
actuating ~he door opening mechanismu The system enables the driver to activate the interior lights and lights on the door ~ locks without entering the car by merely depres~ing the push-- button or lifting the handle. This permits visual inspection ., ~
o~ the inside of the car without opening the door. By having the system energized for only a momentary period, jamming the ''~, ' `<w .` ~
:1 ' ; / ` , 55i~ :
door handles open will not keep the lights on and cau~e the battery to run down.
More particularly, the door lock light bulbs are hou~ed interior of the vehiele door and illuminate an exterior lens which focuses illumination on the key slot~ The door lock -~
bulbs are connected in parallel with the vehicle courteey lights. ;~
In operation, a control circuit energizes a relay which completa~
the circuit to the lights as the handle i8 lifted or the -~
button depressed. $he circuit maintains energi~ation of the relay for a predetermined period of time af~er which the relay is automatically deenergized regardlass of the condition of the ~ ~
door loc]c opening mechanism. In this m~nner, the interior and ~ -key ~lot lighting modes are maintained a sufficient period of time to inspect the veh~cle interior prior entering and to permit insertion of the key into the slot for unlatching the door locking mechani~m The above and other features of the present invention will be app~rent to one ~killed in the art upon reading the followins detailed descriptionJ re~erence being made to the accompanying drawings illu~trating emboaiments of the present inven~ion in which~
FIGURE 1 i~ a fragmentary side perspective view of a vehicle door incorporating a aoor lock lighting ~ystem in accordance with the present invention;
FI~URE 2 i~ a fragmentary ~e~t~onal view sh~wing the int~ri~ co~ponents of the door lock lighting system; and ~ IGURE 3 is a schematic ele~trical diagram of the j control circuit for th~ subject door lock lighting system.
Xeferring to ~iguree 1 and 2, a door lock lig~ting ,~
sys~em in a~cordance with the present invention provides interior vehicle lighting and door lock key slot lighting for a momentary period after actuation of the door opening , ~ : ",., ~ 3755t~
~:
mechanism. More particularly, the vehicle door 10 is provided with a door opening mechanism 12 comprising a handle 14 and a pushbutton actuator 16. The locking mechanism for unlatching the door opening mechanism is con~rolled by a lock cylinder 18 operated by a key 20 inserted through a key slot 22.
The mechanism for controlling opening movement of the ~ -door 10 is conventional in construction and is partially illus- -trated in Figure 2 with only those components necessary for the understanding of the present invention being illustrated, it being kept in mind that any suitable mechanism may be substi~
tuted or this purpoqe. Herein the actuator 16 includes an interiorly disposed piston 24 which engages a lever 26 for pivoting the upp~r end thereof between the solid line position and the dotted line position. The lever 26 includes a lower actuating inger 28 which engages the intermittent lever of the door opening mechanism ~not shown) to actuate the remaining components of the mechanism to unlock the door for opening move-ment. The lock cylinder 18 is supported by a bracket 30 . ~ -, - ;
attached to the interior surface of the door 10~ The cylinder " 20 18 has an inner actuating lever 32 pivotally connected thereto.
i ~ :
~he lever 32 has an arm 34 which passes through a rectansular slot 36 in a latching lever 38. Upon rotation of the key 20, the lever 32 pivots thereby pivo~ing the lever 38 which also cooperates with the intermittent lever (not shown) to disable the opening mechanism from control by the actuator 16.
The door lock lighting system includes an exteriorly ;~
:
disposed clear plastic lens 40 positioned adjacent the lock cyl~
; inder 18 and vertically therebelow. The lens 40 is illuminated by a light 42 positioned interior of the door 10. The light 42 30 is mounted on an arm 44 depending from the bracket 30. A Hall ` ;~
Effect microswitch 46 is mounted interior of the door 10 on a bracket 48. A small permanent magnet 49 is secured to switch .. . .
'., ~'` "~
75~D
actuating arm 50 which is engaged by the ~ide of the upper end of the lever ~6. ~y depre~sing the button 16, the pi~ton 24 engages the lever 26 to pivot the latter to ~he dotted line position thereby pivoting the arm 50 inwardly to close the ~witch contacts. ~he switch 46 include~ a plurality of leads 51 w~ich are electrically connected with the vehicle courte~y lamps in the pas~enger compartment. The courtesy lamps illumi-nate the interior of the passenger ¢ompartment. As hereinaft~r described, momentary depression of the actuator 16 closes the switch 46 to (1) illuminate the light 42 to project light onto -;
the lens for illuminating the key slot 22 and (2~ illuminate the courtesy lights for passenger compartment lighting to permit vi~ual inspection o~ the vehicle interior. By the control circuit described below, the light~ are energized only for a predetermined time during depre#sion of the actuator 16.
The control circuit for the lighting ~ystem is shown in Figure 3. The components within the dashed lines are hou~ed in the control unit 52. More particularly~ the vehicle battery 60 i~ connected in series on the positive (B+~ side ~hereo 20 with ~he micro~witch 4~ on the left side door and the micro- ;
switch 46' on the right side door~ The switches 46 and 46' are co~nected in parallel and are connected with resistors 66 and 68. ~he resistor 66 is connected to the base electrode 70 of a npn transistor 72 and wi~h a capacitor 74. ~he resistor 66 i~ connected to ~he base electrode 70 of a npn transi~tor 72 and with a capacitor 74~ ~he resistor 68 is connected to the collector 76 of ~he transistor 72 and a diode 78. The ;
diode 78 is conneoted in serie~ with a capacitor 80, a resistor `~
82, and a resistor 84. ~he reslstor 84 is connected to the -30 base elec~rode 86 of a Darlington amplifier 88. The collectors ``~
of amplifier 88 are connected to a coil 89 o~ a relay 90. The capacitor 74, the emitter of ~he tran~istor 72, the capacitor 80, , ~Q37~i5~
the resi~tor 82 and the emitter of thle ampllfier 8R are connected to lead g2. A relay contact 94 operated by the relay 90 is closed in accordance with energization thereofO The left-hand door light 42 and the right-hand door light 42' are connected in ~eries with relay contact 94. The lights 42 and 42' are connected in parallel with ~he vehicle courtesy light 100 which is connected to the positive or B+ side of the batta.ry 60. The light 100 i8 connected in a parallel circuit with the positive or ~+ side of the bat~ery 60 and i~ independently controlled : 10 by the headligh~ switch 102. The operation of the light 100 may also be control:Led by aoor jam switches 103 and 103'. :~
In operationO i~ the operator desires to unlock the ~ ~
door to gain access to the interior, depres~ion of the button 16 ~ . .
, closes either switch 46 or 46' depending on the door through which acces~ is being gained. For instance, the closure of the switch . 46 applie~ B+ voltage to the resistors 66, and 68. Inasmuch as transistor 72 is initially non-conducting, current flows through resistor 68 and diode 78 to charge capa~itor 80. Thi9 biases amplifier 88 on, thereby energizing the coil 89 and closing the `-~;;`~;; .
relay contact 94r Thi8 illuminates lights 42 and 42' as well . ~;
as the courte~y light 100. ~he lights 42 and 42' provide .. :; :
illumination of the respective door locks while the courtesy ;~
light 100 illuminates the interior o the passenger compartment.
This permit~ the opexator to insert the key into the slot 22 to unlock the latter and condition the door for opening movement as well as inspect the interior of the vehicle without opening the dcorO .
During this time, t~e capacitor 74 i8 b2in~ charged through resistor 66, ~hereby raising the base voltage of the tran~istor 72. The tran31stor 72 turns "on" and further current flow through diode 7~ to the amplifier 88 iB stopped : ~, because the collector 76 of transistor 72 i9 lowered to nearly ,~, ,,, . , , . . , ~
1(33~75S(D
ground potential. The capacitor 80 will then gradually di~charge.
The time constant of the R-C circuit o~ resistor 82 and the capaci~or 80 will determine the length of time the amplifier 88 i~ conduc~ive and thus the length of time ~he relay 90 is energized. Thereafter, amplifier 88 will go non-conductive deenergizing the relay 90 and opening relay contact 94 ~o deenergize the lights 42, 42' and 100. Because of the action of ~he fix~t stage transistor 72, the light cannot be energized indefinltely by jamming the actuator 16 thereby causing the battery to run down. With ~his system it will al~o be apparen~
that during the energized time period the key can be inserted into the slot to enable unlocking of the latt~r and to further -~
inspect vehicle interior prior to proceeding with entry into the paæsenger compartment.
A door lock lighting system in accordance wit~ the above was successfully built ~nd tested with a control unit S2 having the following specifications: -~` Resistor 66 68 K _f~_ Resistor ~8 1 K ~
Capacitor 74 45 uf ~ 15V
~; Capacitor 80 45 u~ ~ l5V
Diode 78 IN 4001 Re~istor 82 330 K _~2 Resist~r 84 82 K _~~L_ Relay 90 8 Amp - SPST ` ~
` Transistor 72 5958866 ~ ~`
"~! Amplifier 8~ GoE~ 2~S307 While the embodiments of the presant invention, as herein disclosed, constitute a preferred form, it is to be understood -that other forms might be adopted.
~',',''' ;:,' , ;.. . .
., ' ,
The present invention relates to door lock lights and, in particular, to a door lock lighting system wherein actuation of the vehicle door opening mechanism illuminates the vehicle . interior and the door lock~.
Door lock lights for motor vehicles have been previously proposed for providing illumination of the door lock ; key slot to facilitate key insertion during darkness~ These arrangements have taken the form of a light, generally housed in the door handle~ which is energized when the door opening mechanism i9 ac~uated and illuminates the door locX key slots as long as the mechanism is activated.
~ The present invention improves upon these basic ` syst~ms by providing a lighted door lock system which, in addition to illuminating the door lock key slots, also activates vehicle interior lights for a predetermined period after ;.~
actuating ~he door opening mechanismu The system enables the driver to activate the interior lights and lights on the door ~ locks without entering the car by merely depres~ing the push-- button or lifting the handle. This permits visual inspection ., ~
o~ the inside of the car without opening the door. By having the system energized for only a momentary period, jamming the ''~, ' `<w .` ~
:1 ' ; / ` , 55i~ :
door handles open will not keep the lights on and cau~e the battery to run down.
More particularly, the door lock light bulbs are hou~ed interior of the vehiele door and illuminate an exterior lens which focuses illumination on the key slot~ The door lock -~
bulbs are connected in parallel with the vehicle courteey lights. ;~
In operation, a control circuit energizes a relay which completa~
the circuit to the lights as the handle i8 lifted or the -~
button depressed. $he circuit maintains energi~ation of the relay for a predetermined period of time af~er which the relay is automatically deenergized regardlass of the condition of the ~ ~
door loc]c opening mechanism. In this m~nner, the interior and ~ -key ~lot lighting modes are maintained a sufficient period of time to inspect the veh~cle interior prior entering and to permit insertion of the key into the slot for unlatching the door locking mechani~m The above and other features of the present invention will be app~rent to one ~killed in the art upon reading the followins detailed descriptionJ re~erence being made to the accompanying drawings illu~trating emboaiments of the present inven~ion in which~
FIGURE 1 i~ a fragmentary side perspective view of a vehicle door incorporating a aoor lock lighting ~ystem in accordance with the present invention;
FI~URE 2 i~ a fragmentary ~e~t~onal view sh~wing the int~ri~ co~ponents of the door lock lighting system; and ~ IGURE 3 is a schematic ele~trical diagram of the j control circuit for th~ subject door lock lighting system.
Xeferring to ~iguree 1 and 2, a door lock lig~ting ,~
sys~em in a~cordance with the present invention provides interior vehicle lighting and door lock key slot lighting for a momentary period after actuation of the door opening , ~ : ",., ~ 3755t~
~:
mechanism. More particularly, the vehicle door 10 is provided with a door opening mechanism 12 comprising a handle 14 and a pushbutton actuator 16. The locking mechanism for unlatching the door opening mechanism is con~rolled by a lock cylinder 18 operated by a key 20 inserted through a key slot 22.
The mechanism for controlling opening movement of the ~ -door 10 is conventional in construction and is partially illus- -trated in Figure 2 with only those components necessary for the understanding of the present invention being illustrated, it being kept in mind that any suitable mechanism may be substi~
tuted or this purpoqe. Herein the actuator 16 includes an interiorly disposed piston 24 which engages a lever 26 for pivoting the upp~r end thereof between the solid line position and the dotted line position. The lever 26 includes a lower actuating inger 28 which engages the intermittent lever of the door opening mechanism ~not shown) to actuate the remaining components of the mechanism to unlock the door for opening move-ment. The lock cylinder 18 is supported by a bracket 30 . ~ -, - ;
attached to the interior surface of the door 10~ The cylinder " 20 18 has an inner actuating lever 32 pivotally connected thereto.
i ~ :
~he lever 32 has an arm 34 which passes through a rectansular slot 36 in a latching lever 38. Upon rotation of the key 20, the lever 32 pivots thereby pivo~ing the lever 38 which also cooperates with the intermittent lever (not shown) to disable the opening mechanism from control by the actuator 16.
The door lock lighting system includes an exteriorly ;~
:
disposed clear plastic lens 40 positioned adjacent the lock cyl~
; inder 18 and vertically therebelow. The lens 40 is illuminated by a light 42 positioned interior of the door 10. The light 42 30 is mounted on an arm 44 depending from the bracket 30. A Hall ` ;~
Effect microswitch 46 is mounted interior of the door 10 on a bracket 48. A small permanent magnet 49 is secured to switch .. . .
'., ~'` "~
75~D
actuating arm 50 which is engaged by the ~ide of the upper end of the lever ~6. ~y depre~sing the button 16, the pi~ton 24 engages the lever 26 to pivot the latter to ~he dotted line position thereby pivoting the arm 50 inwardly to close the ~witch contacts. ~he switch 46 include~ a plurality of leads 51 w~ich are electrically connected with the vehicle courte~y lamps in the pas~enger compartment. The courtesy lamps illumi-nate the interior of the passenger ¢ompartment. As hereinaft~r described, momentary depression of the actuator 16 closes the switch 46 to (1) illuminate the light 42 to project light onto -;
the lens for illuminating the key slot 22 and (2~ illuminate the courtesy lights for passenger compartment lighting to permit vi~ual inspection o~ the vehicle interior. By the control circuit described below, the light~ are energized only for a predetermined time during depre#sion of the actuator 16.
The control circuit for the lighting ~ystem is shown in Figure 3. The components within the dashed lines are hou~ed in the control unit 52. More particularly~ the vehicle battery 60 i~ connected in series on the positive (B+~ side ~hereo 20 with ~he micro~witch 4~ on the left side door and the micro- ;
switch 46' on the right side door~ The switches 46 and 46' are co~nected in parallel and are connected with resistors 66 and 68. ~he resistor 66 is connected to the base electrode 70 of a npn transistor 72 and wi~h a capacitor 74. ~he resistor 66 i~ connected to ~he base electrode 70 of a npn transi~tor 72 and with a capacitor 74~ ~he resistor 68 is connected to the collector 76 of ~he transistor 72 and a diode 78. The ;
diode 78 is conneoted in serie~ with a capacitor 80, a resistor `~
82, and a resistor 84. ~he reslstor 84 is connected to the -30 base elec~rode 86 of a Darlington amplifier 88. The collectors ``~
of amplifier 88 are connected to a coil 89 o~ a relay 90. The capacitor 74, the emitter of ~he tran~istor 72, the capacitor 80, , ~Q37~i5~
the resi~tor 82 and the emitter of thle ampllfier 8R are connected to lead g2. A relay contact 94 operated by the relay 90 is closed in accordance with energization thereofO The left-hand door light 42 and the right-hand door light 42' are connected in ~eries with relay contact 94. The lights 42 and 42' are connected in parallel with ~he vehicle courtesy light 100 which is connected to the positive or B+ side of the batta.ry 60. The light 100 i8 connected in a parallel circuit with the positive or ~+ side of the bat~ery 60 and i~ independently controlled : 10 by the headligh~ switch 102. The operation of the light 100 may also be control:Led by aoor jam switches 103 and 103'. :~
In operationO i~ the operator desires to unlock the ~ ~
door to gain access to the interior, depres~ion of the button 16 ~ . .
, closes either switch 46 or 46' depending on the door through which acces~ is being gained. For instance, the closure of the switch . 46 applie~ B+ voltage to the resistors 66, and 68. Inasmuch as transistor 72 is initially non-conducting, current flows through resistor 68 and diode 78 to charge capa~itor 80. Thi9 biases amplifier 88 on, thereby energizing the coil 89 and closing the `-~;;`~;; .
relay contact 94r Thi8 illuminates lights 42 and 42' as well . ~;
as the courte~y light 100. ~he lights 42 and 42' provide .. :; :
illumination of the respective door locks while the courtesy ;~
light 100 illuminates the interior o the passenger compartment.
This permit~ the opexator to insert the key into the slot 22 to unlock the latter and condition the door for opening movement as well as inspect the interior of the vehicle without opening the dcorO .
During this time, t~e capacitor 74 i8 b2in~ charged through resistor 66, ~hereby raising the base voltage of the tran~istor 72. The tran31stor 72 turns "on" and further current flow through diode 7~ to the amplifier 88 iB stopped : ~, because the collector 76 of transistor 72 i9 lowered to nearly ,~, ,,, . , , . . , ~
1(33~75S(D
ground potential. The capacitor 80 will then gradually di~charge.
The time constant of the R-C circuit o~ resistor 82 and the capaci~or 80 will determine the length of time the amplifier 88 i~ conduc~ive and thus the length of time ~he relay 90 is energized. Thereafter, amplifier 88 will go non-conductive deenergizing the relay 90 and opening relay contact 94 ~o deenergize the lights 42, 42' and 100. Because of the action of ~he fix~t stage transistor 72, the light cannot be energized indefinltely by jamming the actuator 16 thereby causing the battery to run down. With ~his system it will al~o be apparen~
that during the energized time period the key can be inserted into the slot to enable unlocking of the latt~r and to further -~
inspect vehicle interior prior to proceeding with entry into the paæsenger compartment.
A door lock lighting system in accordance wit~ the above was successfully built ~nd tested with a control unit S2 having the following specifications: -~` Resistor 66 68 K _f~_ Resistor ~8 1 K ~
Capacitor 74 45 uf ~ 15V
~; Capacitor 80 45 u~ ~ l5V
Diode 78 IN 4001 Re~istor 82 330 K _~2 Resist~r 84 82 K _~~L_ Relay 90 8 Amp - SPST ` ~
` Transistor 72 5958866 ~ ~`
"~! Amplifier 8~ GoE~ 2~S307 While the embodiments of the presant invention, as herein disclosed, constitute a preferred form, it is to be understood -that other forms might be adopted.
~',',''' ;:,' , ;.. . .
., ' ,
Claims (3)
1. In a vehicle having a door movable between a closed and an open position and further having an electrical power source and a lighting system of the type including a lock light for illuminating an exteriorly mounted key operated vehicle door lock and an interior passenger compartment courtesy lamp the improvement comprising: a door opening mechanism operable to latch and unlatch the door, first switch means operable by said door opening mechanism into first and second operating modes in accordance with door latch and unlatch respectively, circuit means including second switch means responsive to said first switch means being in its second operating mode to concurrently energize the lock light and the courtesy lamp across the electrical power source, said circuit means further including means for conditioning said second switch means to de-energize the lock light and the courtesy lamp a predetermined time period subsequent to and independently of operation of said first switch means by said door opening mechanism.
2. In a motor vehicle having a door movable between a closed position and an open position for providing access to a passenger compartment, a door opening mechanism operable to latch and unlatch the door to allow movement between the closed and open positions, a key operated door lock on said door for conditioning actuatability of the opening mechanism, a courtesy light in the passenger compartment for illuminating the latter and an electrical power source, the improvement comprising: a light opening in the door adjacent the door lock, a light dis-tributing lens member mounted exteriorly of the door at said opening, a lighting unit positioned interior of the door adjacent said lens for directing illumination when energized outwardly through said opening onto said lens for distribution onto the door lock, circuit means for connecting said lighting unit in series with the courtesy light including first switch means operatively associated with the door opening mechanism and momentarily conductive upon actuation of the door opening mechanism, said circuit means including second switch means responsive to conductivity of said first switch means to connect said lighting unit and the courtesy light in series with the power source whereby the lighting unit is energized for illuminating said lens and door lock and the courtesy light illuminates the passenger compartment upon actuation of the opening mechanism, said circuit means including means for conditioning said second switch means to de-energize said lighting unit and the courtesy lamp a predetermined period subsequent to and independently of operation of said first switch means by the door opening mechanism.
3. A light assembly for illuminating the door lock of a motor vehicle having a door, a door opening mechanism having a push button and linkage means operable to latch and unlatch the door, the door lock conditioning door opening actuatability of the linkage means of the door opening mechanism comprising: a light opening in the door adjacent the door lock, a lighting unit including a light distributing lens member mounted on the door adjacent the door lock, said lighting unit When energized directing illumination outwardly through said lens to illuminate the door lock, first switch means operably associated with the door opening mechanism conditioned momen-tarily conductive upon actuation of the door opening mechanism push button, circuit means including second switch means being adapted to be connected between an electrical power source and said lighting unit and responsive to conduction by said first switch means to energize said lighting unit thereby to illuminate said lens and the door lock upon actuation of the opening mechanism, said circuit means including means for con-ditioning s id second switch means to de-energize said lighting unit a predetermined period subsequent to and independently of operation of said first switch means by the door opening mechanism push button.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US525995A US3916250A (en) | 1974-11-21 | 1974-11-21 | Door lock lighting system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1037550A true CA1037550A (en) | 1978-08-29 |
Family
ID=24095481
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA228,865A Expired CA1037550A (en) | 1974-11-21 | 1975-06-09 | Door lock lighting system |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3916250A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1037550A (en) |
Families Citing this family (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4071805A (en) * | 1976-09-16 | 1978-01-31 | General Motors Corporation | Interior lighting delay circuit |
| US4115723A (en) * | 1977-07-21 | 1978-09-19 | Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company | Control circuit for vehicle compartment light |
| US4122371A (en) * | 1977-07-21 | 1978-10-24 | Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company | Control circuit for vehicle compartment light |
| DE2949457C2 (en) * | 1979-12-08 | 1987-02-12 | Hella KG Hueck & Co, 4780 Lippstadt | Delay circuit for interior lighting of a motor vehicle |
| JPS56120429A (en) * | 1980-02-27 | 1981-09-21 | Nissan Motor Co Ltd | Device for lighting room illumination lamp |
| DE3125610A1 (en) * | 1981-06-30 | 1983-01-13 | Deutsche Itt Industries Gmbh, 7800 Freiburg | Two-pole delay circuit |
| DE3204837C2 (en) * | 1982-02-11 | 1984-03-22 | Apag Elektronik AG, 9472 Grabs, Sankt Gallen | Lighting system for an interior of a motor vehicle |
| DE3940457C1 (en) * | 1989-12-07 | 1991-03-14 | Mercedes-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, 7000 Stuttgart, De | Motor vehicle lock illuminating device - is operated by proximity switch responding to metal and/or permanent magnet of car key |
| DE4020865C1 (en) * | 1990-06-29 | 1991-07-04 | Mercedes-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, 7000 Stuttgart, De | |
| GB2310886A (en) * | 1996-03-08 | 1997-09-10 | Thomas Wilson | Illuminated door lock |
| US6070998A (en) * | 1998-01-23 | 2000-06-06 | General Motors Corporation | Fiber optic lighting system for vehicle door handle |
| DE29921826U1 (en) | 1999-12-13 | 2000-03-02 | Loewe Opta GmbH, 96317 Kronach | Motor vehicle with a door that can be unlocked using a remote control |
| DE102013007383A1 (en) * | 2013-04-26 | 2014-10-30 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | Device with a handle shell and with a lighting device for the handle shell and a method for mounting the device |
| CN106609612A (en) * | 2015-10-26 | 2017-05-03 | 北汽福田汽车股份有限公司 | Automobile external handle and automobile |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3221211A (en) * | 1963-05-20 | 1965-11-30 | Mallory & Co Inc P R | Electronic time delay, lamp control |
-
1974
- 1974-11-21 US US525995A patent/US3916250A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1975
- 1975-06-09 CA CA228,865A patent/CA1037550A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US3916250A (en) | 1975-10-28 |
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