FR2676404A1 - Cigarette lighter with a warning (indicator) means, particularly for a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The cigarette lighter includes a hollow lighter body (1) forming a plug and bearing, for forming an electric circuit, electric supply tongues (6, 7, 8), an electric supply elastic component (12), a resettable thermal circuit breaker (11) and a warning means (10), driven by the said thermal circuit breaker (11), mounted in parallel with respect to the said thermal circuit breaker (11). Application: motor vehicle.

Description

 The present invention relates to a cigar lighter, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a hollow ignition body, forming an electrical outlet, and bearing, for the formation of an electrical circuit, electrical supply tabs, an elastic piece of power supply, a resettable thermal circuit breaker having a permanent positive temperature coefficient, with a resistance suddenly increasing with temperature, and a warning means controlled by said circuit breaker.

Such a cigarette lighter is described in the application
FR-91 04973 filed April 28, 1991 and not published.

 In this document, the warning means consists, for example, of a lamp which changes in intensity when the thermal circuit breaker, based on semiconductor polymer, heats up.

 In practice, its brightness decreases, it is brighter at the start of heating of a heating plug, then its intensity decreases when the temperature of said circuit breaker reaches its end of heating of the plug value or in the event of a short circuit.

 It may be desirable to reverse the above arrangement so that the driver is better informed when the plug has heated sufficiently or in the event of a short circuit.

 The object of the present invention is to meet this wish.

 According to the invention, a cigar lighter of the above-mentioned type is characterized in that the warning means is mounted in parallel with respect to said thermal circuit breaker.

 Thus, in the case of a warning lamp, at the start of heating of the plug, the resistance of the thermal circuit breaker being low, the lamp is not lit, while at the end of heating of the plug, when the resistance of the thermal circuit breaker increases, the lamp is strongly lit, which warns the user.

 Of course, one can use a lamp and / or a bell which will ring when the circuit breaker trips, or another sound device such as a buzzer or a siren.

The following description illustrates the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
- Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of a cigarette lighter body according to the invention, mounted in the wall of the vehicle
- Figure 2 is a bottom view according to Figure 1 without the ignition body
- Figure 3 is a top view according to Figure 1 without the ignition body
- Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 5 with representation of the protrusion
- Figure 5 is an axial sectional view showing the plug for its active position and its inactive position
- Figure 6 is a top view according to Figure 1 showing the holes in the wall of the vehicle
- Figure 7 is a diagram of the electrical circuit according to the invention
- Figure 8 is a detail view of the plug mounting tabs
- Figure 9 is a top view of the cap showing its cigar lighter acronym
FIG. 10 is a characteristic curve of the resettable thermal circuit breaker with the value of its resistance on the ordinate, and the temperature on the abscissa.

 In these figures, the cigar lighter for a motor vehicle comprises a hollow ignition body 1 forming an electrical outlet and carrying, for the formation of an electrical circuit, electrical supply tongues 6,7,8, an elastic part d power supply 12, a resettable thermal circuit breaker 11, here based on semiconductor polymer, having a permanent positive temperature coefficient, with a resistance increasing sharply with temperature, and a warning means 10 piloted by said thermal circuit breaker 11 .

 According to the invention, a cigar lighter of the above-mentioned type is characterized in that said warning means 10 is mounted in parallel with respect to said thermal circuit breaker 11.

In these figures, the warning means 10 consists of a lighting lamp and the elastic part 12 is of a type similar to that described in the document.
FR-91 04973, the content of which is considered to be annexed to the present invention.

 Thus, the ignition body 1 forms a socket for reception of a current plug 50 in the form of a socket to supply in particular an accessory, such as a lighting lamp, or in a variant of a heating plug receiving a heating body for lighting a cigar or a cigarette.

 Here the plug 50 comprises an electrical supply part 14 fixed to electrical insulation on a guide part 13.

 The guide piece 13 carries part of the retaining means 20 intervening between the ignition body 1 and said plug, for maintaining the latter in the inactive position and in the active position.

 The feed piece 14 projects axially with respect to the guide piece 13. The guide piece 13, here conductive, consists of a bowl partially surrounding the feed piece 14 in the form of a bowl, which has a cylindrical zone 23 for local contact with the elastic current-taking part 12, comprising for this purpose blades, said bowl 14 projecting axially with respect to the guide bowl 13. The bowls 13, 14 are metallic.

 The retaining means 20 comprise hooking tabs 21 carried by one of the current plug elements 50 - ignition body 1 and two axially staggered grooves 22 carried by the other of the ignition body elements 1 - plug current 50. Here the ignition body 1 carries two hooking tabs 21 diametrically opposite and directed axially towards the open end of the body 1, while the current plug 50 has a guide bowl 13 with two grooves 22 staggered axially , said bowl 13 being guided by the body 1.

 The warning lamp 10 is inserted into the electric circuit of the cigarette lighter while being controlled by the resettable thermal circuit breaker 11.

 Here the plug 50 consists of an ignition plug with static parts and comprising a gripping part capable of being lit by said lamp 10, as described below.

 The bowl 14 of this plug carries a heating body 15 and constitutes an ash guard therefor.

 More specifically, the stopper comprises, in addition to the bowls 14 and 13, electrically insulating washers, a fixing member 17, a heating body 15, a cap 51 made of plastic material, such as black polyamide made of non-translucent material, a portion 53 of translucent material, such as crystal-colored polycarbonate, and an illuminating ring 52 of translucent material such as red-colored polycarbonate of the assembly means 16 being provided between the portion 53 and the guide piece 13.

 The opaque part 51 (the cap) is hollow and serves as a housing for the part 53 with assembly of said parts by clipping. The bottom of the part 51 is provided with a lighting window with a cigarette lighter symbol (figure 9) for lighting it thanks to the part 53. The ring 52 is also fixed by clipping to the part 51 and forms a collar at the base of the cap 51. The part 53 is assembled in the end to the bowl 13 by a bayonet type assembly, the bowls 13 and 14 being fixed relative to each other in advance.

 For this, the bottom of the bowl 13 has three oblong openings 72 and the part 53 three legs 73 with curved side wings and retaining heels.

 The assembly is done by threading the tabs 73 with their wings through the openings 72 and then by rotation as described in the document FR-91 04973.

 The bowl 14 has a bottom pierced for the fixing member 17, here a rivet. Around the member 17 are mounted insulating washers, one of which is interposed between the bottoms of the two bowls 13,14.

 The heating body 15 consists of an electrical resistance with a wire wound in a spiral.

 Alternatively, it may be an electronic conductive ceramic body.

 The bowl 14 is fixed in a manner known per se by crimping the rivet 17 in contact with the bowl 13 and the skirt of the bowl 14 has tongues for holding the heating body 15.

 The ignition body 1, made of conductive material, is hollow while being cylindrical in shape, for receiving the plug 50 of complementary cylindrical shape.

 This body 1 has a bottom 31 and an open end with an end flange.

 This body 1, here metallic, is suitable for being mounted in a wall 4 of the vehicle, here the dashboard of the latter shaped as a connector and having a housing cavity for this purpose.

 This wall 4 has two pins 83, while the body 1 is integral at its open end with an opaque faceplate 80 fixed to the open end of said body 1 by clipping using notches engaging in corresponding openings made in the cylindrical skirt of the body 1 and as visible in FIG. 1. Said plastron 80 is shouldered for cooperation with a shoulder formed at the open end of the wall 4.

 The body 1 is secured by clipping an insulating body 3 against its bottom 31.

 The body 1 carries axially projecting electrical supply tongues 6,7,8, extending outside the body 1 in the vicinity of its bottom 31. These tongues 6,7,8, made of conductive material, have generally here the shape of a square with a base parallel to the bottom 31. The elastic electrical supply part 12 is in the shape of a "U" with two axial blades, here slightly inclined, generally diametrically opposite and each provided with a spout d end for punctual contact by pinching with the electrical contact zone 23 of the electrical supply bowl 14 of the plug 50. The tab 6 is connected to the vehicle ground (at the negative terminal of the battery) while the tabs 7 and 8 are connected to the positive terminal of the battery. More specifically, the tab 7 is connected to the positive terminal through the electric anti-theft switch, while the tab 8 is connected to the supply circuit of the vehicle lanterns. icon.

 The tongue 6 is interposed axially for fixing by its base between the insulating body 3 and the bottom 31 of the body 1, while the tongue 7 is fixed in the body 3 by means of a chimney 82, which the latter presents at this effect, and by means of two pairs of elastically deformable tabs 85, which has vis-à-vis its base projecting axially to cooperate with notches 87 formed in the body 3 hollowed out for this.

 The tongue 8 is also mounted in the body 3 by means of a chimney.

 The axial part of the tongue 7 is provided with at least one notch for anchoring in the chimney 82.

 Thus, the tongue 7 is fixed stably in the body 3. This body has a centering pin 86 for centering the base of the elastic part 12, the circuit breaker 11 and the base of the tongue 7 which are drilled for this purpose. This part 12 is in contact with the body 3, as well as with the circuit breaker 11 interposed axially between the base of the tongue 7 and the base of the part 12, the bottom 31 of the body 1 being pierced for passage of the blades with nozzles of part 12 (FIG. 4), immobilized by cooperation of shapes with the body 3.

 As will be understood, thanks to these tabs 85 and to its mounting in the chimney 82, no fixing member is necessary for the mounting of the elastic part 12 and for the mounting of the circuit breaker 11, said parts being fixed by means of the tongue 7 while being pressed by the latter. The insulating body 3 therefore serves for fixing the part 12, the circuit breaker 11 and the tongues 6 to 8.

 The part 12 has its base extended by a bar 90 which extends parallel to the base of the tongue 7 and to the bottom 31, as visible in FIGS. 1 to 3.

 At its free end, the bar 90 has a perpendicular return 91, just like the free end of the base of the tongue 7, which is extended and has a perpendicular return 92. These returns 91 and 92 extend parallel to the body ignition 1 while being mounted here opposite. They allow the mounting and supply of the warning lamp 10. This lamp is mounted, in a manner known per se, in an insulating socket serving to hold two conductive parts each in contact at one of their ends with the '' of one of said returns 91 and 92 and, at the other of their ends, each with one of the lamp supply wires, by means of a tongue pinching the base of said lamp. the returns 91, 92 is mounted in a protrusion 100 from the wall 4, laterally and parallel to the body 1, said body having openings 42 for lighting the plug 50. The body 3 has at its end opposite the bottom of the wall 4, hooks 104 for assembly by clipping with the body 1 having for this purpose tongues 105.

 Thus, the mounting of the body 1 in the wall 4 is carried out by forming, first of all a sub-assembly 1,80,3, then by threading this sub-assembly into the cavity delimited by the wall 4.

 To do this, the front plate 80 is first assembled with the body 1, then the body 3 fitted from below is fitted with parts 6 to 8, 11, 12, with assembly by clipping.

 Finally, it is assembled by threading the whole into the cavity of the wall 4, the pins 83 of which cooperate with openings formed in the body 1 for locking the assembly.

 Note that the tongue 6 is shaped to also laterally present a tongue 93 and the same is true of the tongue 8 which laterally has a tongue 94. These tongues are provided with returns perpendicular to the image of the returns 91.92 and serve to the mounting by pinching of a lighting lamp 9 as well as to its supply.

So the device works in the following way
When the user lights the lanterns of his vehicle, the lamp 9 is supplied and an electrical circuit is established between the tongues 6 and 8, the lamp 9 illuminating the translucent part 53 through the openings 42, arranged in the vicinity of the open end of the body 1 and of the lamps 9,10.

 The ring 52 is then not illuminated when the plug 50 is not pressed, that is to say in the inactive position.

 When the plug is pressed (active position), the tongues 21 pass from one groove 22 to another and the plug, by its bowl 14 (the zone 23 thereof), is allowed to cooperate with the blades of the part 12 and an electrical circuit is established through the tongue 7, the resettable thermal circuit breaker 11, the base of the part 12, the blades with jaws thereof, the part 14, the heating body 15, the rivet 17 , the guide bowl 13, the body 1 and the tongue 6.

 The lamp 10 is not lit at the start of the heating operation.

 The operation continuing, the resistance of the circuit breaker 11 increases suddenly, in accordance with the curve in FIG. 10, which allows the lamp 10 to be supplied at full power thanks to the tab 7, to the part 12 and to their returns radial 91.92.

 This makes it possible to illuminate, through the openings 42, the ring 52 which is then in the low position, the ring 52 taking on the red color, which makes it possible to warn the driver, who then only has to remove the plug 50 to light a cigar or cigarette.

 As will be understood, the two lamps 9 and 10 are mounted side by side, parallel to the body 1, by means of the protrusion 100. The shape of the cutout 102 made for this in the wall 4 being visible in FIG. 6, as well as the cutout 103 made in the bottom of the cavity of the wall 4 shaped as a connector for passage of the tongues 6 to 8.

 Note the presence of two notches 106 in the cutout 103 for formation of a polarizing device and cooperation of shapes with projections 107 of the body 3.

A shoulder opening 108 is made in the connecting part of the wall 4 for cooperation with a hook tab 109 (FIG. 1) of the body 3. The tab 109 is integral with a projection 112 (FIG. 1) for its disassembly. The body 3 is immobilized axially in one direction by said tab 109 and in the other direction by the bottom of the wall 4. Of course, the faceplate 80 is shaped to close off the protrusion 100.

 It will be appreciated that this device also makes it possible, in the event of a short circuit, for example when the blades of the part 12 come into contact with the body 1 despite the clearance openings 110, which the latter has for this purpose, to warn the user.

 Of course, when the lanterns are not lit, the plug 50 is not permanently lit, and it is also possible, in the inactive position, to illuminate the ring 52 by the lamp 9. In the event of a short circuit, even in the position inactive, the ring 52 then lights up thanks to the lamp 10.

 For more details on the thermal circuit breaker, for example in the form of a component based on semiconductor polymer sold under the brand "PolySwitch", by the company RAYCHEM, reference is made to the aforementioned request FR-91 04973, as well as request FR-91 00501 by noting that said circuit breaker resets automatically when the plug is removed and that it is able to resume, after cooling, its low resistance.

 In the event of a short circuit by contact of the part 12 with the body 1, it instantly trips under the effect of the high intensity with the appearance of a leakage current.

 This circuit breaker 11 therefore has two functions and trips in heating mode under the effect of heat, for example around 1200, the heating body 15 can then reach 900, all this depending on the applications, and in particular the distance between the blades. of part 12 and resistance 15.

 Of course, the warning lamp 10 can be replaced by a warning bell which will ring when the circuit breaker 11 trips.

 Similarly, the part 12 can be a bimetallic strip and the role of the tongues can be reversed, for example the tongue 6 can be connected to the positive terminal of the power source (the battery) and the tongues 7 and 8 to the negative terminal from said source.

 Advantageously, the warning lamp 10 can be capped by a translucent cap 116 (FIG. 4) of color, for example of red color, making it possible to differentiate the lamps 9 and 10. In this case, the plug 50 is simplified, the ring 52 can be deleted.

 Advantageously, the opaque front plate 80 can be provided with a lighting window facing the lamps 9, 10 and the plug 50 can be opaque while being simplified. In this case, whether with a heating cap or with a power outlet, the user will be warned in the event of a short-circuit, the lamp 10 then lighting the window of the faceplate, for example in red when the lamp 10 is wearing by a red cap.

 Of course, another composition can be chosen for the resettable circuit breaker, the important thing being that its resistance changes suddenly according to the curve in FIG. 10.

 Similarly, while here the lamps 9 and 10 are in the image of one another, it is possible to differentiate them.

Claims (9)

 1) Cigar lighter, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a hollow ignition body (1), forming an electrical outlet, and carrying, for the formation of an electrical circuit, electrical supply tabs (6,7,8 ), an elastic piece of electrical supply (12), a resettable thermal circuit breaker (11) having a permanent positive temperature coefficient, with a resistance increasing sharply with temperature, and a warning means (10) piloted by said circuit breaker thermal (11), characterized in that said warning means (10) is mounted in parallel with respect to said thermal circuit breaker (11).  2) Cigar lighter according to claim 1, wherein one (7) of the power supply tabs is square-shaped with a base parallel to the bottom (31), which has the ignition body (1) , and is connected to one of the terminals of a power supply source and to said elastic piece of power supply (12) through said thermal circuit breaker (11), characterized in that, for supplying a lamp warning (10), the base of said supply tongue 7 is extended by a perpendicular return (92) extending parallel to the ignition body (1).  3) Cigar lighter according to claim 2, in which the elastic electrical supply part (12) has the overall shape of a "U" with a base parallel to the bottom (31) of the ignition body (1), characterized in that the base of said piece (12) is extended by a bar (90), which extends parallel to the base of said power supply tab (7), said bar (90) having at its free end a perpendicular return (91) extending opposite the return (92) of said tongue (7).  4) Cigar lighter according to claim 3, characterized in that the resettable thermal circuit breaker (11) is interposed axially between the bases of said electrical supply tab (7) and said electrical supply part (12) being carried by an insulating body (3) integral with the ignition body (1), said insulating body (3) having a centering pin (86) for centering said circuit breaker (11) and the base of said elastic supply base (12).  5) Cigar lighter according to claim 4, characterized in that said electrical supply part (12) and said circuit breaker (11) are fixed to said body (3) by means of said mounted supply tongue (7) in said body (3) thanks to a chimney (82) thereof, said tongue (7) having to do this at least one notch for anchoring in said chimney (82).  6) Cigar lighter according to claim 5, characterized in that said supply tongue (7) is fixed in the body (3), also by means of two pairs of elastically deformable tabs (85) which have its base in axial projection to cooperate with notches formed in said insulating body (3).  7) Cigar lighter according to claim 6, characterized in that the bottom (31) of the ignition body is pierced for passage of the blades with beak that has said piece of electrical supply (12).  8) Cigar lighter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the warning lamp (10) is mounted laterally and parallel to the ignition body in a projection (100) of a wall (4) of the vehicle, characterized in that another lighting lamp (9) is mounted in said protrusion being supplied by the vehicle lanterns, and in that the warning lamp (10) is capped by a cap (110) in colored translucent material for differentiation of lighting (9) and warning (10) lamps.  9) Cigar lighter according to claim 8, characterized in that the ignition body (1) is integral with a faceplate (80) covering the protrusion (100), and in that said faceplate (80) is provided a lighting window facing the warning lamp (10).