Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VEHICL~ E~ERG~ÇY LIGHT KIT
The present invention relates to an emergency rear
light kit for temporary installation at the back of a
vehicle or trailer. More specifically the present
invention provide~ an emergency light kit having a
control box which can be positioned beside the driver of
a vehicle and has leads to emergency lights that can be
temporarily mounted on the back of a vehicle or a
trailer.
In cars and trucks, either towing trailers or not
towing trailers, there can from time to time occur a
failure in either one or more of the rear lights which
can result in the vehicle driving unlawfully on the
roads. This situation often occurs on tractor trailer
combinations, thus an emergency light kit that can be
carried in the cab of a tractor or inside a car and is
adapted for use of all vehicles becomes a useful
requirement. The unit may be used when tail lights,
brake lights or indicator lights burn out or when wiring
inside a vehicle or trailer fails.
The present invention aims to provide an emergency
light kit suitable for all road vehicles whether it be
cars, trucks, tractor trailers or vehicles towing a
separate trailer. The kit provides at least two rear
lights that can easily be temporarily mounted at the
back of a vehicle or trailer. The rear lights have a
multi lead cable which is connected by a plug and socket
connection, either through an extension cord or not as
required, to a control box that is placed in the cab of
a tractor or at a location that can be easily reached
by the driver of a car or truck. The control box has a
power lead with a plug for insertion in a standard
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cigarette lighter socket on the panel of a vehicle. In
the case of a trailer, the plug connection in the cable
between the control box and the lights may be used for
connection to a standard electrical trailer connecting
socket on a vehicle, thus making the rear lights operate
with the regular vehicle lighting system.
The control box in the present kit has positive
switches for indicator lights and tail lights together
with a momentary switch for a brake light. Thus running
or tail lights may be left on continuously and the
turning indicator lights can be operated by a driver
before a turn. Furthermore, the brake lights can also
be operated by a driver by simply pushing on a momentary
switch which applies the brake lights only when the
switch is pushed. Furthermore, by switching on both
left and right indicator light switches at the same
time, flashing lights occur in both rear lights for
emergency purposes.
The present invention provides an emergency light
kit for a vehicle comprising: at least two rear light
units with attachment means to temporarily attach the
units to the back of a vehicle or trailer, each rear
light unit having a tail light element, and a direction
indicator and brake light element; control box for
positioning beside a vehicle driver, the control box
having a power lead with a plug for insertion in a
standard cigarette lighter socket, first electrical
circuit for direction indicator lights with a flasher
therein and positive switches for left and right
indication, second electrical circuit for tail lights
with a positive switch therein, and third electrical
circuit for brake lights with a momentary switch
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therein, and electrical multi lead cable for all
circuits between the control box and the rear light
umits having at least one combined cable plug and socket
connection therein.
In other embodiments, an electrical coiled
expansion cable is provided for leads between the two
rear light units thus permitting the units to be spaced
apart as required for a particular vehicle or trailer.
The attachment means to temporarily attach the two rear
light units to the back of a vehicle or trailer are
preferably suction cups. Extension cables may be
provided for insertion between the plug and socket
connection of the electrical multi lead cable, the
extension cables may be of different lengths for varying
sizes of vehicles. Removable clips may be provided to
hold the electrical multi lead cable and extension
cables to one side and the back of a vehicle or trailer.
In a further embodimentt panel lights are provided on
the control box to indicate when the electrical circuits
are activated.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the
invention:
FIG 1 is an isometric view of a tractor trailer
having an emergency light kit according to one
embodiment the present invention mounted thereon;
FIG 2 is an isometric view partly in section of one
embodiment showing a rear light unit;
FIG 3 is a side view of the rear light unit shown
in FIG 2;
FIG 4 is a top view of a control box for the
emergency light kit.
FIG 5 is a wiring diagram for one embodiment of the
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ennergency light kit of the present invention.
The emergency light kit of the present invention
comprises primarily two elements with an optional
extension cable. The first element is a control box for
locating beside a driver's position of a vehicle, power
leads and plug to fit in a standard cigarette lighter
socket and a multi lead cable ending in a socket. The
second element comprises two rear light units with a
multi lead cable joining the light units together and a
multi lead cable ending in a plug to fit in the socket
from the control box. An extension cable with plug and
socket may be provided to fit between the plug from the
light units and the socket from the control box. FIG 1
illustrates a tractor trailer arrangement 10 with two
rear light units 12 having an electrical multi lead
coiled expansion cable 14 extending between the light
units 12. The coiled expansion cable 14 allows a
variation in di~tance between the two rear light units
12 and prevents the cable 14 from sagging if the
distance is short, thus the light units may be mounted
on the back of almost any width of vehicle or teailer.
A multi lead cable 15 from the right hand rear light
unit 12 extends to a plug 16 which joins to a socket 18
of an extension cable 20. In one embodiment, the cable
15 is fifteen feet long. As can be seen in FIG 1, tie
down clips 22, preferably metal spring clips with a soft
rubber pad on one side to protect the paint surface of a
vehicle or plastic flexible tie clips are used to attach
the extension cable 20 to the right hand side of the
trailer unit. The extension cable 20 has a plug 24 at
the cab end which connects to a socket 26 joined to a
multi lead cable 28 passing through the side window of
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the tractor for connection to the control box in the
cab. For purposes of illustration, the plug 24 and
~locket 26 are shown outside the cab. In effect, the
n~ulti lead cable 28 is preferably only a foot long and,
therefore, the plug 24 and socket 26 are inside the cab.
The rear light units 12 are illustrated in more
detail in FIGS 2 and 3 and each have a rubber suction
cup 30 attached to a back plate 32 which has a red
plastic transparent cover 34 thereon. A two element
bulb 36 fits into socket 38 held to the back plate 32
by clip 40. The suction cups 30 in one embodiment are
approximately three inches in diameter and for holding
on painted steel or painted aluminum, the sides of the
cup are be swabbed lightly with an aerosol lubricant
such as that sold under the trade mark WD40 before being
pressed onto the surface. In the case of a plastic or
glass surface, the CUpB 30 are moistened with water and
then pushed onto the surface. In some instances, the
suction cups 30 come with a pull tab for easy release.
Whereas two rear light units are illustrated, four or
more light units may be uæed to form the second element
with multi lead cables, either coiled cables or flexible
cables. The two element bulb 36 is a standard twelve
volt vehicle bulb, so if one burns out, one of the
vehicle or trailer bulbs from the vehicle or trailer
light units will probably fit into the rear light
unit 12 of emergency light kit.
The control box 44 as illustrated in FIG 4 has a
top panel 46 atta~hed to the box by four screws 48. Two
sets of electrical leads, the light leads 28 and power
leads 50 to a cigarette lighter plug described hereafter
extend through an opening in the top panel 46 so that
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ease of maintenance is obtained. It is merely necessary
to remove the panel 46 by undoing the four screws 48 to
check the wiring within the control box 44.
A left hand indicator switch 52 and a right hand
indicator switch 54 are both positive switches and
located on the left hand side and the right hand side of
the panel 44. By pressing the left hand switch 52, a
flashing indicator light occurs in the left hand rear
light unit by pressing the right hand switch 54, a
flashing indicator light occurs in the right hand rear
light unit. By pressing both left hand and right hand
switches 52 and 54, both rear light units 12 flash. A
tail light switch 56 is used to turn on the tail lights,
in both rear light units. The tail light is sometimes
referred to as the parking light or running light. The
tail light switch 56 is also a positive switch so that
it can be pressed on and remains on until the operator
turns it off. A momentary switch 58 which is spring
loaded is provided for the brake light and an operator
must press the switch downwards in order for the brake
light on the two rear light units 12 to operate. By
removing his finger from the brake light switch 58, the
brake lights are turned off. A plastic holder 60 is
provided on the side of the control panel 44 to hold a
cigarette lighter when it is removed from the socket.
Panel indicator lights 70 are provided to indicate
the particular function of the switches. The panel
indicator lights 70 operate in exactly the same way as
the rear light units to give an indication to an
operator.
The wiring diagram for the control box and rear
light units 12 is illustrated in FIG 5. The power
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leads 50 connect to a plug 64 for insertion in a
standard cigarette lighter socket of a vehicle. There
are three main electrical circuits for the lighting
system, the first circuit links the left hand indicator
switch 52 and right hand indicator switch 54 through a
flasher unit 66 to high power elements 68 in the left
hand and right hand rear light units 12. As stated when
both switches 52 and 54 are closed, then both light
elements 68 flash. The second circuit is the tail light
circuit operated by the tail light switch 56 and by
closing this switch the two low power elements 69 in
the rear light units 12 are switched on. The brake
light circuit is operated by the momentary brake light
switch 58 which lights both high power elements 68 in
the two light units 12. The high power elements 68
produce a brighter light than the low power elements 69.
The panel light~ 70 indicate when the low power elements
69 are lit and when the high power elements 68 are lit.
Installation of the kit is comparatively simple by
positioning the control box at a convenient location
beside the driver, preferably on the dash board removing
the cigarette lighter and placing it in the holder 60
attached to the control box and inserting the plug 64
from the control box into the cigarette lighter socket
of the vehicle. The two rear light units 12 are mounted
at the back of the vehicle or trailer, the plug 18 on
the extension cable 20 is connected up to the socket 16
on the cable 15 to the light units 12 and the plug 24 on
the extension cable 20 is plugged into the socket 26 on
the cable 28 to the control box. The extension cable 20
is attached to the vehicle by clips or other means,
extra or left over cable is looped and clipped to the
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trailer or vehicle, and the kit is then in operation.
~he driver has manual control over rear indicator
lights, brake lights and tail lights.
If the trailer is made from wood and has no
suitable surface for mounting the suction cups 30 on the
lights units, then a suitably sized sheet metal plate
can be used with wood screws or other suitable
connection, to provide a surface for the suction cups.
The wiring diagram illustrates the multi lead
cables between the control box and the light units
running down the right hand side of a vehicle. If it is
required to run the cables down the left hand side of a
vehicle, then the wiring for the left hand switch 52 and
right hand switch 54 may be interchanged or,
15 alternatively, the control box may be turned around so
the opening for the cable 28 and leads 50 is at the
bottom rather than the top of the box.
The electrical leads are preferably color coded and
standard color coding is used. Furthermore, the plugs
and sockets are preferably the standard units used for
trailer connections, thus for emergency purposes, the
two rear light units 12 may have their plug 16 connected
to a socket from a standard trailer hitch so that the
rear lights operate from the normal vehicle lights. In
this instance it is not necessary to use the control
box. Extension cables may be provided in different
lengths 10, 20, 30 and 50 feet lengths are available.
Various changes may be made to the embodiments
described herein without departing from the scope of the
present invention which is limited only by the following
claims.
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