US1516538A - Direction indicator for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 25 R. E. LUNDAY DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 27 1922 INVENTOR 59 1?. .Elundcy v 4 By j 4110mm Patented Nov. 25, 1924,

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DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed March 2'7, 1922. Serial No, 547,279.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL EDWARD LUNDAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Direction Indicators for Automobiles, of which the followin is a full clear, and exact description.

l Iy invention relates to improvements in direction indicators for automobiles, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed:

An object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described for indicating to observers on both sides of the vehicle the direction in which the vehicle is about to turn.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, in which two cooperating indicators act simultaneously to indicate the direction in which the motor vehicle is about to turn.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described which is electrically operated and in which a lamp is provided which is automatically switched on and ofi' when the indicator is in an operative position and at rest, respectively.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims' My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Fig. 1 is a view of an embodiment of my invention applied to an automobile.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the indicating mechanisms with the casing removed and a part of the field piece removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one of the indicating mechanisms, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the electric connections used in operating the device.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a pair of indicating mechanisms 1 and 2, which are provided with base portions 3. By means of these base portions 3, I mount the indicating mechanisms upon the crowns of the front fenders 4 of an automobile 5.

The indicating mechanisms 1 and 2 are precisely the same in construction and a detailed description of one will exactly describe the construction of both. In Fig. 2, I have removed the sheet metal casings6 and show a side elevation of the operative parts. The base 3 is secured at its upper end to a rectangular metal plate 7. Two pairs of up right field pieces 8 and 9 are securely mounted upon the plate 7. magnetic metal, preferably brass;

The upper ends of the field pieces 8 and 9 are provided with arcuate surfaces on their inner sides, as shown at 10, havin a common center exactly midway the upright field geces 8 and the field pieces 9, respectively rass plates 11 and 12 are secured by means of screws 13 upon the sides of the field pieces 8 and 9 adjacent their upper ends.

The plates 11 and 12 are provided with bearings centrally located therein, which bearings are in exact alinement with the center of the arcuate surfaces 10. Each pair of the field pieces 8 and 9 are provided with an armature 14 and 15, respectively, which armatures are rotatably mounted in the bearings of the brass plates 11 and 12'. v The armatures 14 and 15 have coils 16 wound thereon about a soft iron core 17. Th terminals of the coil 16 are arranged to pass out through a hollow shaft upon which the armatures turn. Each of the armatures are provided with two terminals extending through the hollow shaft thereof, the armature 14 having terminals 18 and 19 and the armature 15 having terminals 20 and 21.

The field pieces 8 and the field pieces 9 are each provided with a transverse soft iron core 22, which cores have wound there on field coils 23 and 24, respectively. Terminals 18 and 19 ofthe arms 14 are connect-- ed directly to the terminals of the field coil 23, so that the armature 14 is in multiple with the field coil 23. The terminals 20 and 21 of the armature 15 are connected to the terminals of the field coil 24 so that the armature 15 and the field coil 24 are in multi le.

Ihe adjacent shaft ends of the arinatures 14 and 15 are threaded and each are pro vided with an indicating member, the shaft of the armature 14 having a member-shaped to resemble the vane of an arrow and the shaft of the armature 15 having an indicating member 26 fashioned to resemble the head of an arrow. These indicating members are of aluminum so as to reduce their weights as much as possible. Means for This plate is of a non fastening the members and 26 to the adjacent shaft ends of the armatures 14 and 15 is provided in. nuts 27 Which are arranged to turn upon the threaded portions of the shafts. Means for illuminating the indicating members 25 and 26 when used at night is provided in an incandescent lamp 28, which is mounted in a socket 29. One terminal of the lamp 28 is connected to a pair of binding screws 30. The switches for automatically turning on the lamp when the device is operated are associated one with each of the pairs of field pieces 8 and 9. In Fig. 3 I have broken away oneof the field pieces 8 and show this switch mechanism which consists of an insulating base 31 secured to the plate 7. A U-shaped resilient metal arm 32 having at its outer end a soft iron armature 33. The armature 33 is arranged to' over-han a pair of inwardly extending'portions of the field pieces 8 and 9, as shown at 34. These portions 34 also serve to receive screws by means of which the field pieces may be mounted upon the brass plate 7. When the field coils 23 or 24 areenergized, the armature 33 will be drawn down upon the portions 34 and establish electrical contact therebetween, i. e.,

between the core 33" and the portions 34 of the field pieces. For the sake of explanation, we will refer to the switch associated with the field pieces 8 as the switch 35 and the switch associated with the field pieces 9, as 36. Both switches 35 and 36 have their resilient arms 32 electrically connected by means of wires 37 to the binding post 30 of the lamp 28. The opposite terminal of the lamp 28 is extended through the casing 6 and is shown at 38.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections of my device. It will be noted that the field coils 23 and 24 of the opposite mechanisms are connected in parallel as well as their associate armatures, and that current is supplied to the device by a current source 39, which may be a storage cell or similar device. A switch for controlling the indicating'mechanism is shown at 40 and is of the magnetic type. This switch I have completely disclosed in my application for patent in the United States Patent Office on Magnetic Switch, Serial No. 318,266. The switch 40 has two manually operated buttons 41 and 42; Electrical magnets 43 and 44 are disposed heneath the buttons 41 and 42, respectively. One terminal of the magnets 43 and 44 is'connected to the ground 45, i. e.,

the frame of the car and the other terminal is connected to contact points 46 and 47 beneath the buttons 41 and 42, respectively. The contact points 46 and 47 are connected by means of wires 48 and 49, respectively, to cross wires 50 and 51.. The cross wire 50 is connected to the terminal 19 of the armature 14 of the mechanism 1 and to the terminal 27 of the armature 15 in the opposite indicating mechanism. 7 The cross wire 51 is connected to the terminal 27 of the armature 15 of the mechanism 1 and to the that is, they are at rest within the casings 6 and the core pieces of the armatures 14 and 15, as shown at 17 are out of registration with the curved surfaces 10 of field pieces 8 and 9, respectively. When the person driving the car 5 desires to indicate the direction in which he is about to turn, he will manually press one of the two buttons 41 and 42.

Let us assume that he presses the button 41,

making contact between the contact points 46 and 52. Current will flow from the cur- 3 rent source 39 across the contactpoints 52 and 46 up through the wire 48 and through the field coil 23 and the armature 14 of the mechanism 1, thence to the ground and back to the current source 39.v Current will also flow from the cross wire through the field coil 24 of the armature 15 of the mechanism 2 and thence to the ground'45. The electromagnet 43 will also become energized since current will flow from the contact. point 46. down through the coil 43 to the ground 45. The coil 43 when energized will serve to hold the button 41 down against the points 46 and 52. The vaneindicator 25 of the mechanism 1 will be elevated, as shown in Fig. 1, since current flowing through the field 23 and the armature 14 of the mechanism 1, will cause the armature 14 to turn so that its core member 17 will move into close registration with the arcuate 'surface 10 of the field pieces 8, i. e., unlike poles of the respective members will be attracted to one another. I

The indicating arrow 26 of the mechanism 2 will likewise beelevated and assume the,

position shown in Fig. 1. Anyone observing the car at this time will clearly see that it is about to turn to the left, since the arrow points in that direction and may be clearly seen from either side of the car.

When the driver does turn to the left, in doing so, a cam 56 associated with the steering column Will engage a piston 57 which will elevate the contact points 52 and cause the circuit between the points 46 and 52 to.

become broken. The arrows will therefore i dicating members disposed on each of said casings, and means for selectively moving said members in said casings, whereby said members may be projected exteriorly of said casings, a member of one casing cooperating easing, a separate half of an arrow shaped 10 indicating member disposed in said casing, a second separate half of an indicating member mounted in parallel relation to said first named half member, and means for se lectively projecting said indicating members 15 exteriorly of said casing.

RUSSELL EDWARD LUNDAY.

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