METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING AND OPERATING AN AUXILIARY LIGHTING SYSTEM USING A TRAILER PLUG
An auxiliary lighting system using a trailer plug is disclosed. A signal may be transmitted from a trailer plug to an auxiliary implement attached to a vehicle. The signal can be sent through a wire bundle or wirelessly using a transponder. In either case, the auxiliary lighting system does not require rewiring of the vehicle's wiring harness.
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This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/622,211, filed Feb. 13, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/104,570, filed Jan. 16, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis invention relates to a method for installing and operating an auxiliary lighting system using a vehicle's trailer plug.
BACKGROUNDWhen an auxiliary implement, such as a snowplow, is mounted onto the front of a vehicle, the vehicle's headlights and turn signals are commonly obscured. Therefore, vehicle-mounted auxiliary implements often include an auxiliary lighting system which includes auxiliary headlights and turn signals which operate instead of (or in addition to) the vehicle's headlights and turn signals.
Such auxiliary lighting systems typically require numerous connections to the vehicle's electronic lighting system so that the auxiliary headlights and turn signals can be coordinated, powered, and controlled by the vehicle's existing electrical system. Current installation techniques involve disconnecting the vehicle's original equipment manufacturer's (“OEM”) wiring harness and splicing or otherwise connecting the new wiring harness for the auxiliary lighting to the OEM wiring. This part of the process is labor intensive and objectionable as it requires altering the vehicle's existing electrical system. For example, the time necessary to initially install and mount a snowplow that utilizes an auxiliary lighting system to a vehicle is approximately four hours. The process of installing the wiring harness consumes approximately two and one half hours of that time. Therefore, a simpler installation process would reduce the amount of time and effort necessary to install an auxiliary implement utilizing an auxiliary lighting system and would eliminate the need for major alterations to the vehicle's OEM electrical systems.
Many vehicles that are suited to operate an auxiliary implement, such as a snowplow or spreader, are trucks or other vehicles that include trailer hitches that include a hitch receiver and a trailer plug. It is believed that approximately 95% of trucks currently manufactured feature trailer hitches. More recently, manufacturers offer trucks with towing packages, including a hitch receiver and a trailer plug, installed as standard equipment. Trucks that do not include these features as standard equipment from the manufacturer have the towing package available as an option from the factory. Vehicles other than trucks, such as cars and all-terrain vehicles (also known as “ATV's”) may also offer such hitch receivers and trailer plugs and may also be candidates for embodiments of this invention.
“Trailer plugs” are a type of electric connector typically positioned at the rear end of vehicles, such as a pickup truck, usually near a hitch receiver. Each trailer plug is positioned at one end of a trailer wiring harness. Trailer plugs come in multiple varieties and are designed to power and control trailer features such as brake lights, turn signals, running lights, and the like. The two most common trailer plugs are the 7-way plug and the 4-way plug. Many trucks now come with the 7-way plug installed from the factory, as discussed above. Other common plugs include a 6-way, a 5-way, and a 4-way plug. There are also a wide variety of European type trailer plugs with different wiring configurations than those just described.
SUMMARYAccording to some embodiments of this invention, an auxiliary lighting system may be used with an associated vehicle having a trailer plug. The auxiliary lighting system may comprise: A) an auxiliary implement having an auxiliary lighting system including at least one auxiliary light wherein the auxiliary implement is removably mounted to the associated vehicle; B) a transponder in electrical connection with the trailer plug, wherein the transponder is capable of transmitting a wireless signal; and, C) a controller comprising a microprocessor programmed to operate the at least one auxiliary light based directly or indirectly on the wireless signal.
According to other embodiments of this invention, an auxiliary lighting system for use with an associated vehicle having a trailer plug; the auxiliary lighting system comprising: A) an auxiliary implement having an auxiliary lighting system including at least one auxiliary light, wherein the auxiliary implement is removably mounted to at least one of: (1) the associated vehicle's front; and, (2) at least one of the associated vehicle's sides; B) a wire bundle secured to the vehicle and in electrical connection with the trailer plug and the auxiliary lighting system; wherein the wire bundle can transmit an electrical signal from the trailer plug; and, C) a controller comprising a microprocessor programmed to operate the at least one auxiliary light based directly or indirectly on the electrical signal.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
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As described above, the present disclosure has been described with preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the present disclosure that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An auxiliary lighting system for use with an associated vehicle having at least one headlight, at least one tail light, and a trailer plug that indicates the condition of the vehicle's tail light; the auxiliary lighting system comprising:
- an auxiliary implement that is mountable to the associated vehicle;
- an auxiliary lighting system including at least one auxiliary headlight that is operable to illuminate a ground surface in front of the associated vehicle in place of the vehicle headlight;
- a transponder in electrical connection with the trailer plug, wherein the transponder is operable to transmit a wireless signal; and,
- a controller comprising a microprocessor programmed to operate the at least one auxiliary headlight based directly or indirectly on the wireless signal; and,
- wherein the microprocessor operates the auxiliary headlight into: (1) an on condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that the associated vehicle's tail light is in an on condition; and, (2) an off condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that the associated vehicle's tail light is in an off condition.
2. (canceled)
3. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the auxiliary lighting system comprises an auxiliary blinker light; and,
- the microprocessor operates the auxiliary blinker light into: (1) a blinking condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that a blinker light on the associated vehicle is in a blinking condition; and, (2) an off condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that the blinker light on the associated vehicle is in an off condition.
4. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the microprocessor operates the auxiliary headlight into: (1) an on condition or a blinking condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that a brake light on the associated vehicle is in an on condition; and, (2) an off condition when the associated trailer plug indicates that the brake light on the associated vehicle is in an off condition.
5. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the transponder is powered by a connection of the trailer plug.
6. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the transponder is powered by a power source that is not a vehicle battery.
7. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the transponder is supported by the trailer plug.
8. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the transponder is supported to a hitch receiver mounted to the associated vehicle.
9. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the auxiliary implement is a snowplow assembly.
10. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the at least one auxiliary light is powered by a vehicle battery not via the transponder
11. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the controller comprises a receiver that receives the wireless signal.
12. The auxiliary lighting system of claim 1 wherein:
- the trailer plug comprises at least one connection that is terminated
13-20. (canceled)
21. An auxiliary lighting system method for use with an associated vehicle having at least one headlight, at least one tail light, and a trailer plug that indicates the condition of the vehicle's tail light; the method comprising the steps of:
- A) providing an auxiliary implement;
- B) providing an auxiliary lighting system including at least one auxiliary headlight;
- C) providing a transponder that is operable to transmit a wireless signal;
- D) providing a controller comprising a microprocessor programmed to operate the at least one auxiliary headlight;
- D) wherein the auxiliary implement is mountable to the associated vehicle;
- E) wherein the auxiliary lighting system is mountable to at least one of the associated vehicle and the auxiliary implement;
- F) wherein the controller is mountable to at least one of the auxiliary implement and the associated vehicle;
- G) wherein the transponder is electrically connectable to the associated vehicle trailer plug; and, H) wherein when the auxiliary implement is mounted, the auxiliary lighting system is mounted, the controller is mounted, and the transponder is electrically connected: (1) the transponder is operable to transmit a wireless signal to the microprocessor; (2) the microprocessor is operable to place the auxiliary headlight into an on condition to illuminate a ground surface in front of the associated vehicle in place of the vehicle headlight when the associated trailer plug indicates that the associated vehicle's tail light is in an on condition; and, (3) the microprocessor is operable to place the auxiliary headlight into an off condition when the associated vehicle's tail light indicates that the associated vehicle's tail light is in an off condition.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein step A) comprises the step of:
- providing the auxiliary implement to be a snowplow.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein:
- the associated vehicle comprises OEM wiring that is used to illuminate the at least one vehicle headlight;
- step B) comprises the step of: providing the auxiliary lighting system with auxiliary wiring that is used to illuminate the at least one auxiliary headlight; and,
- no step of this method includes the step of connecting the auxiliary wiring to the OEM wiring.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein:
- the associated vehicle has a front end and a rear end; and, the at least one vehicle headlight is positioned on the front end of the vehicle; and,
- step D) comprises the step of: mounting the auxiliary implement to the front end of the vehicle.
25. A method for using an auxiliary lighting system, comprising the steps of:
- A) providing a vehicle comprising at least one headlight, at least one tail light, and a trailer plug that indicates the condition of the vehicle's tail light;
- B) providing an auxiliary implement;
- C) providing an auxiliary lighting system including at least one auxiliary headlight;
- D) providing a transponder that is operable to transmit a wireless signal;
- E) providing a controller comprising a microprocessor programmed to operate the at least one auxiliary headlight;
- F) mounting the auxiliary implement to the vehicle;
- G) mounting the auxiliary lighting system to at least one of the auxiliary implement and the vehicle;
- H) mounting the controller to at least one of the auxiliary implement and the vehicle;
- I) electrically connecting the transponder to the vehicle trailer plug;
- J) transmitting a first wireless signal from the transponder to the microprocessor to place the auxiliary headlight into an on condition to illuminate a ground surface in front of the vehicle in place of the vehicle headlight when the trailer plug indicates that the vehicle's tail light is in an on condition; and,
- K) transmitting a second wireless signal from the transponder to the microprocessor to place the auxiliary headlight into an off condition when the trailer plug indicates that the vehicle's tail light is in an off condition.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein step A) comprises the step of:
- providing the vehicle with a front end and a rear end;
- positioning the at least one headlight on the front end of the vehicle; and,
- positioning the at least one tail light and the trailer plug on the rear end of the vehicle.
27. The method of claim 25 wherein step B) comprises the step of:
- providing the auxiliary implement to be a snowplow.
28. The method of claim 25 wherein:
- step A) comprises the step of: providing the vehicle with OEM wiring that is used to illuminate the at least one vehicle headlight;
- step C) comprises the step of: providing the auxiliary lighting system with auxiliary wiring that is used to illuminate the at least one auxiliary headlight; and,
- no step of this method includes the step of connecting the auxiliary wiring to the OEM wiring.
29. The method of claim 25 wherein:
- step A) comprises the steps of: providing the vehicle with a front end and a rear end; and, positioning the at least one headlight on the front end of the vehicle; and,
- step F) comprises the step of: mounting the auxiliary implement to the front end of the vehicle.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 7, 2015
Publication Date: Jul 21, 2016
Applicant: Meyer Products, LLC (Cleveland, OH)
Inventor: Louis Orazem (Chardon, OH)
Application Number: 14/680,367