Steering wheel high beam headlight indicator

An apparatus for indicating that a motor vehicle's headlamps are in their high beam condition. Rather than mounting a light source on the dashboard as conventional, the indicator light is mounted in the top center portion of the vehicle's steering wheel with the wiring therefore routed through the rim and spokes of the steering wheel to the steering column.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
I. Field of the Invention 
The present invention is directed to an improved high beam headlight 
indicator and, more specifically, to a high beam headlight indicator 
mounted dead center on the top of the steering wheel facing the driver of 
a vehicle. A colored lens protecting the bulb of the indicator is inlaid 
flush on the steering wheel so that the presence of the indicator on the 
steering wheel does not disturb the smooth contour of the steering wheel 
or inhibit one's ability to steer the vehicle. 
II. Discussion of the Prior Art 
A feature common to nearly all domestic and foreign automobiles are 
headlights on the vehicle having three modes of operation--off, low beam, 
and high beam. The high beam mode significantly increases the driver's 
ability to perceive and observe road conditions while driving at night. 
However, the high beam mode can significantly impair the ability of the 
drivers of oncoming vehicles to see. It is for this reason that vehicles 
having both high and low beam headlights are typically equipped with a 
high beam indicator light inside the vehicle. This indicator light, which 
in prior art motor vehicles is typically located on the dashboard, is 
provided to remind drivers to switch the mode of operation of their 
headlights when oncoming traffic is approaching. While location of the 
high beam indicator on the dash is typical, this is not necessarily the 
best location. First, when mounted on the dash, along with other lighted 
displays and indicators, the high beam indicator can blend in with the 
other displays and indicators, thus loosing its prominence. Second, if 
placed on the dash, the indicator can become obscured by other vehicle 
equipment, such as the steering wheel, gear shift lever or turn signal 
lever. When such situations arise, a driver can forget to switch the mode 
to low beam, creating a hazard for oncoming vehicles. Moreover, an 
oncoming driver, when facing a high beam from another vehicle will switch 
his own lights to high beam to signal or retaliate against the first 
driver. This can temporarily impair the first driver's vision and could 
contribute to an accident. This, in turn, creates in many drivers a 
reluctance to use the high beam setting even when safe driving practices 
suggest its use. 
While most vehicles in common used today locate the high beam indicator 
somewhere on the dashboard of the vehicle, at least one patent, U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,350,599 which issued on June 6, 1944 to E. F. Feldheim, attempts to 
address the problem by locating the high beam indicator so that it 
reflects its light off the windshield of the vehicle into the driver's 
eyes. While the high beam indicator light arrangement of Feldheim may 
solve the problem of lack of visibility, it suffers from the problem of 
being too directly in the driver's line of sight when he is operating the 
vehicle. The high beam indicator of Feldheim may preclude the driver from 
being able to properly view the road conditions as he proceeds with 
driving. 
Although numerous patents have used all or part of the steering wheel 
assembly for control devices and instrument displays, the steering wheel 
high beam indicator uniquely takes advantage of the steering wheel's 
qualities as a control or indicator platform. Further, these patents 
generally consider the rotational movement of the steering wheel to be a 
disadvantage and seek to neutralize it through a variety of mechanical 
innovations. Unique among instruments commonly displayed on a dashboard, 
high beams and the attendant indicator light are generally only engaged at 
high speeds. Since at high speeds the wheels of the car are oriented 
straight ahead or close to straight ahead, the high beam indicator light 
would remain in the upper quadrant of the steering wheel when engaged. The 
steering wheel high beam indicator is, in fact, more effective for the 
attention slight steering wheel movement brings to the indicator light 
when the high beams are engaged. Proximity to the driver's eyes and 
movement of the light combine to ensure maximum driver awareness that the 
high beams are engaged. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, the high beam indicator is 
located on the top center portion of the rim of the steering wheel. In 
this position, it is more directly in the driver's line of sight than when 
located on the dashboard. Similarly, it is separated from other displays 
and indicators on the vehicle so that it is more prominent. Also, it is 
not so directly located in line of the driver's sight through the 
vehicle's windshield so that it would cause him or her to be distracted or 
to be unable to see and observe the road conditions. Thus, the present 
invention promotes road safety in at least two ways. First, it is better 
capable of reminding drivers when the high beam lights are on so that they 
can be switched to the low beam mode when traffic approaches. Second, 
since a driver would not have to worry about forgetting to change the mode 
of operation when traffic approaches, he or she can utilize the high beam 
headlights to better view the road conditions with greater confidence when 
there is no or only sporadic oncoming traffic. 
In addition to the advantages of the present invention set forth above, by 
mounting the high beam indicator at the top of the steering wheel in 
accordance with the present invention, the high beam indicator lamp 
becomes the most easily observed and the most readily apparent indicator 
displayed in the car. Moreover, the constant steering adjustments 
necessary to keep the vehicle moving straight ahead cause the light to 
move, further attracting attention to its presence. No other high beam 
indicator design known to the applicant affords this degree of driver 
awareness without being obtrusive or distracting. Finally, by mounting the 
lens of the indicator flush with the steering wheel and utilizing for the 
lens a color similar to the color of the steering wheel, such as a dark 
blue lens and a black steering wheel, it becomes quite unobtrusive and the 
driver is unaware of the presence of the high beam indicator except when 
it is on.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A portion of a typical automobile dashboard 10 having a plurality of 
instrument displays 11 and a steering wheel 12 is shown in FIG. 1. 
Steering wheel 12 is typical of those in common use today having a rim 13, 
a plurality of spokes 14 and hub 15. Steering wheel 12 is mounted to the 
steering column (not shown) of the vehicle in the standard manner. 
As shown in FIG. 1, consistent with the teachings of the present invention, 
there is an indicator 20 mounted on the front face surface and at the top 
center of the rim 13 of the steering wheel 12 when the vehicle's wheels 
are in a straight-ahead position. FIGS. 2 and 3 show that indicator 20 is 
comprised of a source of radiation, e.g., a light bulb 21, disposed in an 
electrical socket 22 for holding and providing an electrical connection 
for light bulb 21 and a lens 23. The socket 22 and the bulb 21 are 
positioned in a pocket 16 formed in the rim 13 of steering wheel 12. An 
opening 19 extends from the pocket 16 to the exterior surface of the 
steering wheel's rim. 
Lens 23, typically formed of a transparent or translucent, colored plastic, 
is designed to both cover the bulb and socket in such a way that it is 
flush with the outside surface of the rim of the steering wheel so as to 
not interrupt the general contour of the steering wheel. Lens 23 can be 
secured to the steering wheel in any of a number of ways. While the 
drawings show it being held in place by screws 24 passing through a 
back-up plate 25, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the 
tolerances of the pocket 16 and the lens 23 can easily be established to 
form a friction snap fit between the mating parts. 
Providing the wire connection from the high beam switch to energize the 
socket 22 and the bulb 21 is not difficult. The necessary wiring can be 
run from the origin through the steering column (not shown) to the hub 15 
of the steering wheel 12 in a fashion similar to the wiring for the car 
horn. From the hub 15 of the steering wheel 12 it is then run through one 
of the spokes 14 of the wheel 12 to the rim 13 and through the rim 13 to 
the socket 22 along the path represented by dotted line 26 in FIG. 1. 
This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to 
comply with the Patent Statutes and to provide those skilled in the art 
with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct 
and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be 
understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different 
equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to 
equipment details and operating procedures, can be accomplished without 
departing from the scope of the invention itself.