FR2487096A1 - ELECTRONIC SIGNALING DEVICE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTACT KEY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO AN ELECTRONIC SIGNALING DEVICE ASSOCIATED WITH THE IGNITION KEY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE PROVIDED WITH AN ANTI-THEFT DEVICE, THIS DEVICE INCLUDING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT PROVIDED WITH AN ELECTRO-LUMINOUS AND OR ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ALERT DEVICE. BY A FIRST SWITCH INCLUDING A FIXED ELECTRICAL CONTACT 24, 29 AND A NON-ELECTRIC MOBILE ELEMENT 22 AND BY A SECOND SWITCH 35 CAPABLE OF CLOSING THIS ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO EARTH. FOLLOWING THE INVENTION, THE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT INCLUDES A RESISTOR 31, A DIODE 32 AND A TRANSISTOR INCLUDING A COLLECTOR 33 AND AN EMITTER 33A. THE SIGNALING DEVICE SHOWS THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE THAT THE IGNITION KEY WAS NOT REMOVED FROM THE SEAT, WHEN A DOOR IS OPENED, IN PARTICULAR THAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device for

  signaling associated with the ignition key of a vehicle

  motor with an antitheft device, said device operating in each case.

  that times the door on the driver's side is open. From, such

  postives are for example used on motor vehicles equipped with

a lock with steering lock.

  In the prior art it is known to use

  anti-theft devices including an electrical switch which

  controls the starting of the engine. In such devices this switch

  electrical power is only activated when the antitheft lock has been

  secured to the steering column by means of the ignition key.

  It is. on the other hand well known that in most

  the ignition key can successively take the four

  angular positions: 'OFF, GARAGE, ON and START. In the OFF position the ignition key can be inserted or removed from its

  the steering column remains blocked during these two operations.

  tions. In the GARAGE position the contact key can also be inserted

  or removed, but in this case the steering column is not blocked.

  In the ON and START positions the ignition key can not be

  inserted or withdrawn from the position of management is not

cated.

  A primary purpose of the present invention is the

1 - "-...

  use of an electro-light and / or electronic signaling device

  acoustic warning the driver of a motor vehicle that the

  ignition key has not been removed from its seat, the said device

  each time a door, and more particularly the door-

  on the driver's side, is open.

  A second object of the invention is the realization of a static signaling device which comprises no coin

  mobile power, thus avoiding the wear of these moving parts.

  A third object of the invention is the production of a signaling device which has a very simple structure and which

  therefore is very economical and very reliable.

  The signaling device according to the invention is essentially characterized by the fact that an electro-luminous device

  and / or electro-acoustic is inserted into an electrical circuit and contro-

  by a first switch comprising a fixed electrical contact and a movable non-electrical element which is actuated each time the key

  contact is either inserted or extracted from its seat in the anti-

flight.

  The applicant of the present invention is the owner

  Italian Patent No. 958,822 corresponding to US Patent No. 3,840. 714

  concerning an antitheft device to which the signaling device of the pre-

  This invention can be applied. In the following the signaling device according to the invention will be described, by way of example, as an application to the antitheft device described in said Italian Patent No. 958,822, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a lock similar to this

  described in Italian Patent No. 958,822 and provided with a static electrical terminal, the ignition key is not in its seat; - Figure 2 is a similar section to that of Figure 1 with the ignition key inserted in the OFF position; FIG. 3 is a section similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 2 with the ignition key in the ON position; - Figure 4 is a cross section along the line IV-IV of Figure 1; - Figure 5 shows schematically the four angular positions that the ignition key can take;

  FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section showing, on a larger scale,

  the, a first embodiment of the static electrical contact; FIG. 7 is a front view of the electrical contact of FIG. 6; - Figure 8 is a section along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7; FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are respectively similar to FIGS.

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  1, 2, 3 and show a second embodiment;

  - Figure 12 shows schematically, on a reduced scale, the circuit

  electrical signaling device according to the invention.

  In FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11, the reference numeral 20 designates the lock similar to that described in the patent.

  Italian NV 958.822, this lock being housed in a housing "A".

  When the ignition key 21 is not inserted in its seat "C", the small piston "Cl", pushed by one of the ends of the

  lever 22, enters the seat "C" of the ignition key 21 (Figures 1 and 9).

  As long as the key 21 is not inserted in its seat "C" the piston "Cl" is held in this position by the spring "C2" which pushes the same end of the lever 22 (oscillating about the axis 22a)

  against the piston "Cl" and towards the seat "C" of the key 21.

  When the ignition key is now inserted in its seat "C" (Figures 2 and 10) it pushes the piston "CI" radially outwards against the action of the spring "C2" and the lever 22 turns

  clockwise and remains in the global position.

  2, 3, 10, 11, regardless of the angular position of the key 21 and as long as this key is not removed from its seat

"C" in the OFF position.

  A unipolar electrical conductor 26 passes through the housing "A" of the lock 20 through a suitable seat and through

  an insulating piece 25 (Figures 1, 2 and 3). At its free end the conductor

  unipolar electric power unit 26 is provided with a metal strip 24

(Fig. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8).

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, when the ignition key 21 is not inserted in its seat "C", the position of the

  lever 22, pushed by the spring "C2", is such that its end op-

  piston "Cl" is in electrical contact with the metal strip

  than 24, this contact being interrupted when the lever 22 turns around

  of the axis 22a after insertion of the ignition key 21 in its seat "C".

  A second embodiment of the contact or the electrical terminal is shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 in which

  an insulating piece 28 is placed radially in the housing "A" in

  this one of the ends of the lever 22. A unipolar conductor 27 passes through said insulating part 28 and is provided at its free end

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  a tip 29 extending inside the housing "A". As in the first embodiment, the tip 29 will be in contact with said end of the lever 22 when the ignition key 21 is not in its seat "C" (FIG 9) and this contact will be interrupted when the key 21 is inserted in this seat "C" (Fig. 10).

  The four angular positions that the key of con-

  21 can take are visible in Figure 5. The STOP position

  corresponds to "D", the GARAGE position corresponds to "E", the MAR-

  CHE corresponds to "F" and the START position corresponds to "G". As

  already explained above, the ignition key 21 can be inserted or removed.

  in the "D1" and "E" positions, but not in the "F" and "G" positions.

  Moreover, when the key 21 is released in the "G" position, it

  automatically comes to the "F" position.

  The rotation of the ignition key 21 from the position

  (D) shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 at the position (E) shown in FIGS. 3 and 11 has the effect, as known from the Italian patent NV 958.822, of moving the lock 23 towards the key 21, against The action of the spring 23a. This movement releases the lock 23 of the steering column "H" which can now turn on itself. It should be noted that in FIGS. 2, 3 just as in FIGS. 10, 11 the electrical terminal 24, 29 is not in contact with the lever 22 because on

  these four figures the ignition key 21 is inserted into its seat C ".

  Figure 12 shows the electronic circuit of the

  positive signaling according to the invention. In this circuit the electrical terminal 24, 29 is connected, through the insulating piece 25, 28 to the

  conductor 26, 27 and then to the diode 32 which supplies the base of the tran-

  sistor. The collector 33 of the transistor is connected (30) to the positive pole of the vehicle battery which, for example, may be a battery to

  12 volts, while the emitter 33a of the transistor is connected to the

  positive signaling 34 and then second switch 35 which causes the ignition of one or more service lamps when the corresponding door is open. This last characteristic is known in the prior art, as also the fact that one pole of the battery and the second switch 35 is connected to the

earth (36).

  At the positive pole of the battery is connected a

  driver with an electrical resistance 31, which with the driver 26, 27

  is connected to the diode 32. The resistor 31 is of a very high value.

  for example, 2.2 KI, while the signaling device 34 may advantageously have the following characteristics: 3-W, 12 V, 250 mA.

  When the door on the driver's side of a vehicle

  With the signaling device according to the invention, the second switch 35 closes the circuit to earth and one or more service lamps are switched on. There is now

  two possibilities with regard to the signaling device pro-

  (a) The ignition key 21 is not removed from its seat "C" (Figures 2, 3, 11). In this case the lever 22 does not touch the electrical contact 24, 29 and the electric current of the vehicle battery supplies, through the conductor 30 and the resistor 31, the diode 32 which polarizes the

  base of the transistor, the transmitter 33a of the latter bringing the

  to the signaling device 34 which starts to operate.

  b) The ignition key 21 is removed from its seat "C" (Figs 1 and 9). In

  In this case the current coming from the vehicle battery is short-

  grounded by the conductor 30, the resistor 31, the

  conductor 26, 27 and earth or ground contact 24-22 or 29-22. The diode

  32 is not powered and the transistor base is therefore not

  not polarized, the transmitter 33a of the latter does not supply power

  the signaling device 34 and no optical or acoustic signal

that is emitted.

  The dispersion of the electric current by the contact

  earth or mass 24-22 (Fig. 1) or 29-22 (Fig. 9) is practically neglected.

  geable since its value V 12 Id = = = 0.005 A 2.2K.f'l ... 2200 differs considerably from the values indicated above and corresponds

  the amount of power supplied by the battery for

bring an electric clock.

  From the description above it appears clearly

  that the purpose of the functional characteristics of the signaling

  tion or warning according to the present invention is to prevent inadvertently

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  the ignition key 21 remains in its seat "C" of the lock when

  that the driver leaves the vehicle.

  The most important feature we ask

  the signaling device according to the invention is its reliability, that is,

  that is, wear and damage that affect the correct operation of the device should be avoided as much as possible. This is guaranteed,

  with a high probability, by the use of electrical contact-sta-

  24, 29 and by the use of the solid state electric circuit

  taking a collector. The device according to the invention thus comprises

  no expensive electrodynamic elements that are easily subject to

  such as, for example, relays or similar elements that would be

  essential to the functioning of the device because of the great resistance

  electrical contacts 24-22 and 29-22.

  It is obvious that the invention is not limited to

  two embodiments described, but that changes and / or modifications

  may be made without departing from the scope of the

  as defined in the appended claims.

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Claims (6)

R E V E N D I C A T I 0 N S   1. - Associated electronic signaling device   with the ignition key (21) of a motor vehicle provided with a lock   (20), said device comprising an electric circuit provided with an   an electro-light and / or electro-acoustic warning device (34) controlled by a first switch comprising a fixed electrical contact (24,   29) and a movable non-electrical element (22) and by a second interrup-   tor (35) capable of closing said electrical circuit at mass,   characterized in that the electrical circuit further comprises a resistor (31), a diode (32) and a transistor comprising a collector (33) and a transmitter (33a).   2. - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first switch (24-22, 29-22) and the resistor (31) are connected to the transistor via the diode (32), the collector (33)   the transistor is connected to the vehicle battery and the transmitter   transistor (33a) is connected to ground via the   light and / or acoustic signal (34) and said second switch (35).   3. - Device according to one or other of the claims   1 and 2, characterized in that the movable non-electrical element (22) is actuated each time the ignition key (21) is inserted.   or extracted from its seat (C) in the lock (20).   4. - Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the non-movable mobile element (22) is part of a lock standard (20).   5. - Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the movable non-electric element is a lever (22) whose one end pushes a small piston (Cl) in the seat (C) of the key of   contact (21) when this key (21) is not in said seat (C).   6. - Device according to any one of the claims   1 to 5, characterized in that said second switch (35)   the electrical circuit to ground when the door on the heating side - Feur is open.