GB2237460A - Vehicle starting circuit with delayed head lamp energisation - Google Patents

Abstract

Operation of a vehicle ignition means 2 causes a relay 6 to turn on dipped beam headlights 8a, 9a and tail lights 18 after a delay provided by a timer 4. The delay may be fixed or adjustable and lie in the range of 20 to 60 seconds. Manual operation of a dip switch 13 to the high beam position causes relay 6 to turn off the dipper beam energisation signal on a line 15. <IMAGE>

Description

STARTING DEVICE This invention relates to a starting device.

In particular, but not exclusively this invention relates to a starting device to be used in conjunction with a vehicle. Discussion throughout the specification will be in relation to the use of the present invention in conjunction with lights on vehicles, however it should be appreciated that the present invention could be used for the starting of devices other than lights.

There has been considerable interest recently in the provision of safety devices for vehicles. In particular, it has been recognised that it is important for vehicles to be clearly seen and this concern has been evidenced by the proliferation of high stop brake lights. Motorcyclists for years have run their headlamps on dim during daylight hours so that they can be seen more readily. In some countries, especially where smog and fog is predominant, it has become a requirement that cars run their headlamps in the dim position during daylight hours.

To comply with the above regulations the manufacturers of Volvo (TM) cars have incorporated into some of their cars circuitry which turns clearance lamps on at ignition. These lamps are situated on the outer extremities of the car facing forward and are also used to indicate the width of the car. Unfortunately, this circuitry has its drawbacks as the power draw by the lights places a drain on the battery making the vehicle sometimes difficult to start.

It has been recognised by the applicant that it is desirable to have an automatic safety device that does not have the drawbacks associated with previous devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a starting device which addresses the above problems.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a starting device associated with an ignition system of a vehicle wherein the starting device includes a timing means the arrangement and construction being such that after the predetermined time from ignition of the vehicle, the timing means within the starting device turns on a vehicle device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment of the present invention the vehicle device is the vehicle low beam lights.

Automatic low beam lighting ensures that the driver of the vehicle does not have to consciously turn on the safety feature. The present invention avoids the problems of power drain on the battery at ignition when automatic low beam lighting is used as the lighting will not turn on until after the ignition of the vehicle has been completed.

It is envisaged that in some embodiments of the present invention the starting device will be connected to the standard headlights of a vehicle and thus can be fitted into existing vehicles as well as new vehicles without the need to provide extra lights. Some embodiments of the present invention will have the starting device connected to the tail lights of the car as well as to the headlights.

Preferably, included as a feature of the present invention is that the lights will be turned off when the engine is also turned off to prevent flat batteries. This may be achieved by the use of a relay which closes when no power is fed into it by the ignition system.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention will have incorporated into it a fail-safe mechanism so if for some reason the starting device does fail, the other operations of the vehicle including headlight operation are not affected. This can be achieved by a number of means, perhaps by having relays opened when power is removed, by the use of blocking diodes or some other means.

In some embodiments, if the motorist does not wish to use the present invention in certain circumstances, there will be an override switch, perhaps positioned underneath the bonnet of the car, to turn off the lighting system.

Preferably, the present invention will be enclosed within a modular unit with a few wires extending therefrom. This way of packaging the present invention means that installment of the invention into an existing vehicle can be relatively easy to achieve as all that needs to be done is to connect the wires appropriately. For instance it is envisaged that in some embodiments four wires will be required, one to be connected to the dip lights, one to the high beam lights, one to ignition and one to perhaps the tail lights.

in some embodiments the modular unit may be filled with a resin providing a tamper proof unit. It is envisaged that the present invention will be sufficiently inexpensive that if something does go wrong with the modular unit, the modular unit may be thrown away and replaced.

The present invention may have a number of embodiments which operate on different voltages. Alternatively, one embodiment may have means by which the desired operating voltage can be selected. This could be by use of potentiometer or some other variable and adjustable component.

A convenient place for situating the present invention may be under the bonnet of the vehicle.

It can be seen that the present invention can be used with a variety of vehicles such as motorbikes, aeroplanes, earth moving machinery, cars and trucks.

Aspects of the present invention will be discussed by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1: is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2: is a circuit diagram of a further embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THIS INVENTION With respect to Figure 1, there is provided a starting device generally indicated by arrow 1 which includes ignition means 2, switch 3, timer 4 and a warning light 5.

Turning on the ignition means 2 activates a switch 3 which starts a timer 4. At the same time warning light 5 comes on indicating that the starting device 1 is working.

The timer 4 may operate by a variety of means, for instance it could be an electronic timer such as a mono-stable integrated circuit. Alternatively the timer may be mechanical or perhaps operate by way of a bimetallic strip.

The time out period of the timer 4 may be set in the factory to a predetermined time, perhaps in the order of 20 to 60 seconds.

Alternatively the timer 4 may be adjustable by the vehicle operator.

Once the timer 4 times out, a relay 6 is set which is connected via line 15 to the light operating section shown in dotted box 7. A diode 16 is interposed between the timer 4 and the relay 6 so that activation of the lighting system by any other means does not feed back to the ignition system.

Within the light operating section 7 are head light sections 8 and 9, a high beam line 10 and a low beam line 11, a relay box 12, a dip switch 13 and a high beam warning light 14.

Headlight sections 8 and 9 have dim lamps 8a and 9a respectively and high beam lamps 8b and 9b respectively.

The relay box 12 has a relay 12 which connects via line 10 to the dim lights 8a and 9a and a relay 12b which connects via line 11 to the high beam lamps 8b and 9b.

The dip switch 13 is connected between the high beam line 10 and the low beam line 11 and is the same as those used in most vehicles.

Relay 6 is joined by line 15 to relay 12a and hence the low beam line 11.

Without power from the ignition means 2 going to the relay 6, the relay 6 is closed isolating the low beam line 11 from the ignition system 2. Once the timer 4 times out and provides power from the ignition means 2 to the relay 6, the relay 6 is pulled open allowing current to flow through line 15, relay 12a, line 11 and the low beam lamps 8a and 9a. The operation of the low beam head lamps 8a and 9a in this manner does not affect the high beam operation as lamps 8b and 9b which can be operated as usual by way of the dip switch 13.

When the ignition system 2 is turned off, no power is supplied to relay 6 to hold it open. Closing of relay 6 disconnects the low beam lights 8a and 9a from the power supply. Thus when the vehicle is turned off so are the lights.

Tail lights 18 are connected via line 19 to line 15. Thus when the head lights 8a and 9a are turned on by the closing of relay 6, the tail lights 18 are turned on also. A diode 17 between the tail lights 18 and line 15 ensures that there is no feedback from the tail lights 18 to the ignition 2 if the tail lights 18 are activated by any other means.

It is envisaged however that in most cases the present invention will be supplied in module form and only have two wires, one connected to the ignition system 2 and the other connected to the low beam line 11.

Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of a further embodiment of the present invention. A parts list for the circuit diagram is given below.

CODi: VALUE COMPONDT RLA: 12 Volt Coil Single pole make contact RLB: 12 Volt Coil Single pole change over contact RLC: 12 Volt Coil Single pole change over contacts FS1: Fuse SW1: Single pole change over switch D1: 3A 200 Volt (IN5402) Blocking diode D2: 10A 200 Volt Blocking diode D3: IN4003 Back EMF diode D4: IN4003 Back EMF diode D5: IN4003 Back EMF diode D6: IN4003 Timing capacitor discharge diode D7:IN4003 Polarity protection diode ZD1: 15 Volt 1 Watt Zener diode R1: 18k ohm 1/2 Watt Carbon resistor R2: 100k ohm 1,4 Watt Resistor R3: 22k ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor R4: 27k ohm 1,4 Watt Resistor VR1: 50k ohm Variable preset resistor C1: 0.1 Farad 50 Volt Ceramic capacitor C2: 10 Farad 35 Volt Tantalum capacitor C3: 111 Farad 35 Volt Plastic film capacitor C4: 100 Farad 25 Volt Tantalum capacitor Timing circuit capacitor C5: 0.01 Farad 50 Volt Plastic film capacitor LED 1: 5 mm Green light emitting diode IC1: 555 Timer integrated circuit It should be appreciated that other values may be assigned to the parts listed above.For instance, the blocking diodes D1 and D2 may have different ratings depending on the expected load requirements. The rating of the fuse FS1 is also determined by the load on the device. The resistor R4 and variable preset resistor VR1 may also change as these form part of the timing circuit and different delays may be required.

The relays RLA and RLB have contacts which are sufficient to carry the rated load of the starting device.

The relay RLC has miniature printed circuit board mounting.

The Zener diode is incorporated for noise clipping.

The value of resistor R1 is set at the current limit for the light emitting diode LED 1.

Diode D5 acts to block feedback.

Resistor R2 and capacitors C1 and C2 form a power supply filter with capacitor C1 acting as a high frequency by-pass filter and C2 acting as a filter for the positive rail.

The operation of the circuit is as follows: The starting device is fed from an unswitched 12 Volt DC source via the fuse FS1. In most cases the 12 Volt DC source will be the vehicle battery.

At ignition, a 12 Volt DC current from the ignition circuit is applied to the timer circuit 20 via the switch SW1 which is normally a closed isolating switch. The timer circuit 20, the main component of which is the integrated circuit IC1 has a time delay of approximately 30-60 seconds, this delay may also be changed if desired. The timer circuit operates the relay RLC after the time delay by closing the contact RLC1, which in turn operate the relay RLA. With the operation of relay RLA, the RLA1 contact closes feeding the 12 Volt DC current to the low beam head lamps and the side and tail light lamps. The light emitting diode indicator LED1, which is fitted to the car instrument panel, is also lit during this process indicating operation of the device.

Turning the ignition circuit off removes the 12 Volt DC current from the input to the timer circuit 20 causing the relay RLC to immediately release, thus releasing relay RLA which removes power from the low beam head lights and the side/tail lights. This also extinguishes the instrument panel indicator LED 1.

Blocking diodes D1 and D2 are incorporated in the circuitry to prevent incorrect operation of the low beam head light and side/tail light circuits.

Relay RLB and its contact RLB 1 is used to dim the low beam head lights when the head lights of the vehicle are used in the normal fashion. Relay RLB is operates by the application of 12 Volts from the vehicle's high beam head light circuit. Contact RLB1 opens the moving power from the low beam head lights.

The circuit also incorporates radio frequency interference suppression means with capacitors C3 and C4.

It should be noted that in both the circuits illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, fail safe mechanisms are incorporated so that if the starting device does fail, the normal operations of the vehicle are not affected. For instance, the relays are held closed by the power to the starting device and open when power is removed. Also included are blocking diodes which prevent power feedback to the rest of the vehicle's circuitry.

Aspects of the present invention have been discussed by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A starting device associated with an ignition system of a vehicle wherein the starting device includes a timing means the arrangement and construction being such that after the predetermined time from ignition of the vehicle, the timing means within the starting device turns on a vehicle device.

2. A starting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vehicle device are the vehicle low beam lights.

3. A starting device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the starting device has been adapted to operate existing vehicle lights.

4. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the starting device includes means to turn off the further vehicle device when the ignition is turned off.

5. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the starting device enables the lights to be operated at high beam as well as at low beam.

6. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the starting device includes means to override the operation of the starting device.

7. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the starting device is predominantly in a modular unit.

8. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the starting device includes a fail-safe mechanism.

9. A starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the starting device can operate on a number of input voltages.

10. A starting device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

11. Electronic circuitry for a car including a starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 .

12. Electronic circuitry including a starting device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

13. A vehicle including a starting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A vehicle including electronic circuitry as claimed in either claim 11 or claim 12.