Control unit and system for emergency vehicles

Claim 1

CIRCUIT SELECTOR MEANS FOR AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE HAVING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT SOURCE, SEPARATE SIREN AND HORN CIRCUITS ALTERNATIVELY ENERGIZABLE THROUGH NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS, AND A WARNING LIGHT CIRCUIT, SAID CIRCUIT SELECTOR MEANS COMPRISING: (A) SWITCH MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MULTI-POSITION SWITCH ELEMENTS, EACH COMPRISING (1) A CONTACT MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART CONTACTS, (2) A CONTRCTOR MEMBER COOPERABLE WITH THE CONTACTS ON THE CONTACT MEMBER, AND (3) MEANS MOUNTING SAID MEMBERS FOR MOVEMENT OF ONE OF THEM RELATIVE TO THE OTHER ALONG A DEFINED PATH, BETWEEN A NORMAL OFF POSITION AND A DEFINED LIMIT POSITION THROUGH A DEFINED INTERMEDIATE POSITION, SAID MOUNTING MEANS TO DISPOSING THE MEMBERS THAT IN THE COURSE SO MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE MEMBER BETWEEN ITS NORMAL AND ITS LIMIT POSITIONS THE CONTACTOR MEMBER HAS SUCCESSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SEVERAL CONTACTS ON THE CONTACT MEMBER, (B) A MANUAL ACTUATOR MOVABLE SUBSTANTIALLY LINEARLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS BETWEEN NORMAL OFF AND DEFINED LIMIT POSITIONS THROUGH A DEFINED INTERMEDIATE POSITION SO AS TO BE POSITIONABLE AT ITS LIMIT POSITION BY A RAPID MOVEMENT OF THE HAND UNAIDED BY SIGHT; (C) MEANS SO CONNECTING THE MOVABLE MEMBER OF EACH OF SAID MULTI-POSITION SWITCH ELEMENTS WITH THE MANUAL ACTUATOR AS TO CONSTRAIN THE SEVERAL MOVABLE MEMBERS TO MOVE TO THEIR NORMAL OFF, LIMIT AND INTERMEDIATE POSITIONS IN UNISON WITH MOVEMENT OF THE ACTUATOR RESPECTIVELY TO ITS NORMAL OFF, LIMIT AND INTERMEDIATE POSITIONS; (D) CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED WITH CERTAIN OF SAID CONTACTS AND CONNECTABLE WITH THE CURRENT SOURCE, THE NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS AND THE HORN CIRCUIT TO PROVIDE FOR ENERGIZATION OF THE HORN CIRCUIT WHEN THE ACTUATOR IS IN ITS NORMAL POSITION AND IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION; (E) CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED WITH OTHER OF SAID CONTACTS AND CONNECTABLE WITH THE CURRENT SOURCE, THE NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS AND THE SIREN CIRCUIT TO PROVIDE FOR ENERGIZATION OF THE SIREN CIRCUIT BY CLOSURE OF SAID NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS WHEN THE ACTUATOR IS AT ITS LIMIT POSITION; AND (F) CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED WITH STILL OTHERSM OF SAID CONTACS AND CONNECTABLE WITH THE CURRENT SOURCE AND THE WARNING LIGHT CIRCUIT TO PROVIDE FOR ENERGIZATION OF THE WARNING LIGHT CIRCUIT WHEN THE ACTUATOR IS IN SAID INTEMEDIATE AND LIMIT POSITIONS.