VENTER STEPHEN JOHN (ZA)
| WO2006016872A1 | 2006-02-16 | |||
| WO2015173791A1 | 2015-11-19 |
| US4859982A | 1989-08-22 | |||
| GB2411458A | 2005-08-31 | |||
| US20070120654A1 | 2007-05-31 | |||
| US20090122571A1 | 2009-05-14 | |||
| US9016807B1 | 2015-04-28 |
| (6) CLAIMS (1 ) A signal transferring system {10) for transferring electrical equipment activation and deactivation instructions between a towing and a towable vehicle in se!ectabiy causing the functioning of at least one item or item cluster of multi item towable vehicle incorporated electrical equipment in conjunction with the operative selection of an equivalent item or item cluster forming part of towing vehicle equipment comprising towing vehicle power source powerabie selected item of equipment instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated towing vehicle associated circuitry (12) that is electrically connected by a variety of towing vehicle incorporated items or item clusters forming part of the electrical equipment of such towing vehicle, at least once the system is ready for use, in finding matching counterparts along equipment forming part of the circuitry of such towable vehicle, with the towing vehicle associated circuitry individually dealing with one or more instructions from such items or item clusters once the system as installed if not integrally forming part of the circuitry of such towing vehicle is ready for use, and suitably powerabie towable vehicle associated instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry (14) that is constituted to form an instruction receiving relationship with the encoding and despatching circuitry (12) at (east once the system is ready for use and which towable vehicle associated circuitry (14) is electrically connected to a variety of towable vehicle incorporated electrically powerabie items or item clusters forming such matching towing vehicle equipment counterparts and being switchable in coordination therewith once the system as thus installed if not integrally forming part of the circuitry of such towable vehicle is ready for use; characterised in that the instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated circuitry (12) and the decoding and despatching towable vehicle associated circuitry (14) are constituted to form an instruction despatching and receiving relationship with one another by way of an electromagnetic signal type dispatching action, at least once the system is ready for use, in response to the encoding circuitry having electromagnetic signal transmitting characteristics and the decoding circuitry having electromagnetic signal receiving characteristics; an instruction received from the electrical equipment of such towing vehicle, at least once the system is ready for use, thus becoming encoded along the instruction receiving, encoding and despatching circuitry, then becoming despatched by way of an electromagnetic signal to the instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry, along which it becomes decoded and such decoded signal subsequently transferred in matchingly operating electrical equipment along the circuitry of such towable vehicle corresponding with such towing vehicle with selected equipment, (2) A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the towing vehicle encoding and towable vehicle decoding circuitries (12, 14) each incorporates an appropriately programmed programmable integrated circuit programmed to, on the one hand, receive and encode an input signal from a selected items or item clusters forming part of the electrical equipment of a towing vehicle for transmission by the encoding circuitry and, on the other hand, decode an encoded signal received by the decoding circuitry from the encoding circuitry for correspondingly activating or deactivating corresponding items or item clusters forming part of the electrical equipment of a towable vehicle. (3) A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the selected item of equipment instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated circuitry is in the form of towing vehicle installable Wi-Fi transmitting circuitry (12) and the selected item of equipment instruction receiving, decoding and despatching towable vehicle associated circuitry in the form of towable vehicle installable Wi-Fi receiving circuitry (14) as conventionally communicatable. (4) A system as claimed in claim 3 in which the Wi-Fi transmitting and receiving circuitry (12, 14) as conventionally communicatable via antennae (21 ) incorporate Wi-Fi network accessible self-contained System on a Chip (SoC) with integrated TCP/IP-protocol stacks (18) as appropriately programmed. (5) A system as claimed in claim 4 in which the protocol stacks are in the form of ESP8266 Wi-Fi modules (18). (6) A system as claimed in daim 4 or claim 5 in which the protocol stacks (18) incorporate programmable integrated circuits (30, 36) onto which the relevant programmes are downloaded. (7) A system as claimed in claim 6 in which the circuit layout 12 accommodates wireless communication for User Data Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) enabling the use of two wire Controller Area Network (CAN bus) protocols. (8) A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry (12) is suitably powerabte by also being powerable from tne power source of a towing vehicle via a conventional towing to towable vehicle power and earth line coupiab!e linkage (16). (9) A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 in which the instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry is suitably powerable by way of a battery type power source fitted to a towable vehicle at least one the system is at the ready for use. (10) A system as claimed in claim 9 in which the battery type power source is chargab!e from a charging facility associated with a towable vehicle associated with the instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry. (11) A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims that is constituted for use in deactivatably activating lighting involving items or item clusters at least comprising brake lights, directional indicator lights and tail and number plate illuminating lights. (12) A system as claimed in claim 9 that is constituted for use in deactivatably activating a reversing buzzer. (13) A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which at least one of the instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated circuitry and towable vehicle associated instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry is in the form of a vehicle installable unit. (14) Towing vehicle power source powerable selected item of equipment instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated circuitry (12) arranged to form part of a signal transferring system (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13. (15) Towable vehicle associated instruction receiving, decoding and despatching circuitry (14) arranged to form part of a signal transferring system {10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13. |
INTER TOWING TO TOWABLE VEHICLES ELECTICAL SIGNAL TRANSFERRING FACILITY
(2) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of and a system for selectabiy causing the functioning of at least one item or item cluster of suitably powered muiti item towabfe vehicle incorporated electrical equipment from and in coordination with the operative selection of an equivalent item or item cluster forming part of towing vehicle equipment. While not so limited the invention find particular use in the case of operating equivalent equipment in the form of brake lights, directional indicator lights, tail and number plate illuminating lights and a reversing buzzer.
(3) BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The conventional reieasabte electrical connection by way of multi connector plugs between a towing and a towable vehicle by means of which equivalent equipment of the towable vehicle is operated in conjunction with the operation of the relevant equipment of the towing vehicle often gives rise to problems. Some of those are confusion on connecting wiring to one of the plugs, the short circuiting in the plugs or the drawings of large current due to bad connections, the ease of severing of wiring owing to flexing and bending that happens during plug coupling or release and even during vehicular travelling and unreliable vehicular bodily earthing. It is, amongst others, an object of this invention to address such and other problems.
(4) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings
Figure 1 diagrammaticaily shows a signal transferring system according to the invention in the form of an inter towing to towable vehicle electrical signal transferring facility,
Figure 2 in general detail sets out the detail of the transmitting side of one embodiment of the circuitry of the signal transfer facility,
Figure 3 in genera! detail sets out the detail of the receiving side of the circuitry of the figure 2 embodiment of the signal transfer facility,
Figure 4 diagrammaticaily sets out the detail of the transmitting side of a further embodiment οΐ the circuitry of the signal transfer facility,
Figure 5 diagrammaticaliy sets out the detail of the receiving side of the circuitry of the figure 4 embodiment of the signal transfer facility, and
Figure 6 diagrammatically sets out the detail of the transmitting side of yet a further
embodiment of the circuitry of the signal transfer facility of which the receiving side is by way of the figure 5 circuitry.
(5) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Referring to figure 1 of the drawings a signal transferring system, according to the invention, in the form of an inter towing to towabie vehicle electrical signal transferring facility is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.
in also referring to figures 2 and 3 and in one embodiment the facility 10 as in the form of inter integrate circuitry (l 2 C) comprises selected item of equipment instruction receiving, encoding and despatching towing vehicle associated circuitry in the form of a towing vehicle installable Wi-Fi transmitting circuit layout 12 and instruction receiving, decoding and despatching towabie vehicle associated circuitry in the form of a towabie vehicle installable Wi-Fi receiving circuit layout 14 that is in an instruction receiving relationship with the circuit layout 12 by way of an electromagnetic signal dispatching action once the layouts 12, 14 are powered and in signal communicating spacing from one another. The circuit layout 12 accordingly has transmitting characteristics and the circuit layout 14 transmitted signal receiving and despatching characteristics.
The circuit layout 12 is naturally powerabie by way of the power source in the form of a battery (not shown) forming part of circuitry of the towing vehicle, via a vehicular connection circuitry 15 once installed. The circuit layout 14 is suitably powerabie by way of a towing to towabie vehicle power and earth line couplabie linkage 16 or even independently by way of a battery or the like that may be chargable by way of conventional towabie vehicle wheel rotation associated charging means in which latter case the towabie vehicle has no electrical coupling with a towing vehicle.
The layouts 12 and 14 incorporate Wi-Fi network accessible self-contained System on a Chip (SoC) with integrated TCP/IP-protocol stacks in the form of ESP8266 Wi-Fi modules 18 with the the layout 12 also incorporating a voltage regulator 20. The layouts 12, 14 incorporate 2.4GHz antennae 21. The transmitting circuit layout 12 is formed with a plurality of locations of towing vehicle electrical connection 22 and the receiving circuit layout 14 with a plurality of equivalent locations of towable vehicle electrical connection 24. Once the facility 10 is installed for use a lead from an item or item cluster forming part of the electrical equipment of the towing vehicle such as from the brake lights, the directional indicator Eights, the tail and number plate illuminating lights and a reversing buzzer is connected to a specific connection terminal 26 of the locations of towing vehicle electrical connection 22. The leads from the equivalent items of equipment of the towable vehide are connected to the circuit layout 14 by way of the locations of towable vehide connection 24 in each being connected to a connection terminal 28 that matches with a relevant connection terminal 26 of the connection 24.
In more specifically referring to figures 2 and 3 each of the modules 18 incorporates a programmable integrated circuit (PIC) 30, 36 respectively, typically in the form of a PIC
16054.
The PIC 30 is programmed to receive and encode a signal of the specific connection terminal 26 selected along the towing vehicle and thus transmit the encoded signal to the signal receiving circuit 14. The programming has the following general routine.
The PIC 36 is programmed to decode a signal from the layout 12 as thus received in relation to the specific connection terminal 26 selected along the towing vehicle. The programming has the following general routine.
Decoding accordingly selects the equivalent terminal 28 of the receiving circuit of the layout 14 resulting in the powering of the equivalent item or item cluster of the towable vehide. The circuitry of the layout 12 also incorporates the voltage regulator 20, a 78L05 fixed voltage regulator and communication sub circuit 32 and a bank of pull-up resistors 34. The circuitry of the layout 14 circuit in turn incorporates a voltage regulator 38, a LED indicating circuit 40 and output conditioning sub-circuitry 42 incorporating a pair of Darlington transistor arrays
VLN2003a integrated circuits.
In referring to figures 4 and 5 the circuit layout 12 again constitutes the module 18,
programmed as set out above, as connectable via voltage reducing sub circuitry 44 to a towing vehicle power source while the locations of towing vehicle electrical connection 22 is connected via opto-couplers 46 to the module 18. The circuit layout 14 as also including the module 18, again programmed as set out above, includes voltage reducing sub circuitry 46.
The circuit layout 12 of figure 4 can also be replaced by wireless communication for User Data Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication by using
Controller Area Network (CAN bus, two wire connection) protocols as found in modem vehicles and as shown in figure 6. In such case the module 18 is connected to towing vehicle power supply via a PSU circuit 48 while signals from the towing vehicle are connected via such two wire connection layout 50 via an IC 52 to the towing vehicle module 18.
For operative use the facility 10 is fitted by the circuit layout 12 as in a unit being installed to a towing vehicle with leads from its equipment that is involved each being connected to a specific connection terminal 24 except for in the case of a CAN bus fitted vehicle where a two wire protocol is used. The circuit layout 14 as in the form of a unit Is installed to a towable vehicle and leads to its towing vehicle correspondence connected to connection terminals 28 as matching with the terminals 24. The layout 12 is powered from the towing vehicle via sub- circuitry 15, 44, 48 while the power supply to the layout 14 is established as set out above.
In use and when an item or item cluster forming part of the electrical equipment of the towing vehicle such as the brake lights, the directional indicator lights, the tail and number plate illuminating lights and a reversing buzzer is selected the signal as properly voltage wise conditioned is encoded by the PIC 30 (in the case of the figures 2 and 3 embodiment), or in the towing vehicle module 18 in the case of the figures 4 and 6 embodiments. The encoded signal is thus transmitted via the aerial 21 of the towing vehicle associated layout 12 to the towable vehicle associated layout 14 as received via its aerial 21. This signal is subsequently decoded along the towable vehicle associated layout modules 18 (e.g.by the PIC 36) and sent to the specific terminal 28 that is electrically connected with the item of equipment of the towable vehicle that corresponds with that of the towable vehicle that has been activated or deactivated e.g. the brake lights.
the facility 10 thus performs the same function as conventional multi-wire inter towing to towable vehicle wiring with the use of only a simple power and earth line electrical coupling there between having the advantages of for example facilitating the connection of wtnng between towing and towable vehicles thereby limiting the possibility of bad connection and even the severing of wiring as amongst others brought about by the flexing and bending that happens during plug coupling or release and even during vehicular travelling and unreliable vehicular bodily earthing.