The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 11, 1999
Christopher F Davis, Lake Orion, MI (US);
Jeffrey S Kiko, Cortland, OH (US);
John D Simon, Rochester Hille, MI (US);
Brian Douglas Pasha, Cortland, OH (US);
Michael Joseph Dreon, Rochester, MI (US);
Andrew Joseph Jozwiak, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Bruce W Crofts, Highland, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A programmable turn signal and hazard flasher control system (10, 100) includes a lamp control module (12, 108) coupling a turn signal request unit (14, 106) to a number of turn signal lamps (20-30). The module (12, 108) couples the turn signal request unit (14, 106) to a number of vehicle turn signal lamps (20-26) in a first mode of operation and to a number of vehicle turn signal lamps (20-26) as well as a number of additional turn signal lamps (28, 30) in a second mode of operation to thereby accommodate lighting requirements of a trailer or other towed vehicle or to accommodate different lighting requirements in vehicles of a common vehicle platform. The load current to the turn signal lamps (20-30) in either case flows through a shunt resistor R1, and is controlled by a flasher circuit (54) during normal operation to a first flash rate and during a lamp failure condition to a second faster flash rate. The module (12, 108) further includes a control circuit (62) responsive to an appropriate signal state at a lamp designation control input (34) to provide a predefined load activation signal to the flasher circuit (54) regardless of whether the module (12, 108) is coupled to only a minimum number of vehicle turn signal lamps, or the minimum number of vehicle turn signal lamps as well as a number of additional turn signal lamps.