Abstract:
A comprehensive system for providing elements to make a personal vehicle safe and legal for driving on common streets. The system includes all lighting elements that make a personal vehicle street-legal and safe within a single package to allow for easy additions to existing vehicles. Combined elements may include headlights, turning signals, running/parking lights, brake lights, a horn, and windshield wipers.

Description:
[0001]    This patent application claims priority to provisional patent No. U.S. 61/333,070 filed on May 10, 2010, and this provisional patent application is herein wholly incorporated within the present application. 
     
    
       [0002]    FIELD OF INVENTION 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to auxiliary vehicle systems and, more specifically, to a comprehensive electrical system for insertion onto a personal vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    Golf carts have been constructed for transportation around grass-covered golf courses. All-terrain vehicles have been constructed for driving along muddy and rough paths instead of on streets. Bicycles and electric bicycles are increasingly moving from a sidewalk sport to a viable form of transportation as people utilize bikes to commute to work and run errands. These are all different examples of personal vehicles, and now many personal vehicles, though created for off-road purposes, are increasingly driven on streets alongside cars and trucks. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    Personal vehicles include vehicles such as bicycles, electric bicycles, golf carts, Amish buggies, carriages, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), utility vehicles, mules, four-wheelers, remote access vehicles, and many others. Each of these vehicles is an example of a transport carrier that a driver may use on private land, but may wish to use on a public street as well. However, many drivers are constrained from taking these vehicles to the streets, either by laws or by safety concerns. By adding a comprehensive system of turn signals, headlights, brake lights, license lights, hazard lights, brake lights, and a horn, a personal vehicle may meet legal and safety requirements for driving on common streets. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIGS. 1-2  are diagrams showing differing views of a frontward and rear position, respectively, for a personal vehicle that has been legalized for common street driving. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a diagram incorporating the lighting system within a non-electrical-powered personal vehicle. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of the electrical lighting system. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing a specific connection option for an electrical-powered personal vehicle. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing a specific connection option for a non-electrical-powered personal vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a personal vehicle  10  with an electrical kit  80  attached as individual elements  30 . Personal vehicles  10  (including golf carts, bicycles, electric bicycles, Amish buggies, carriages, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), four-wheelers, utility vehicles, mules, remote access vehicles, and other vehicles not designed for street-driving purposes but physically able to be utilized on common streets) often are built and applied for purposes outside of normal driving down common streets. Common-street driving is primarily dominated by passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks. Such detours may not be the primary purpose of these personal vehicles  10 , but it is not uncommon for such vehicles to be driven down a common street for both short and lengthy stretches. Some governments have taken official notice of these actions and are implementing new laws. Some laws give a greater number of rights to bicycle riders. Other related laws require all vehicles to meet a particular set of standards before being driven down a government-maintained street. 
         [0012]    The standards behind many of the laws governing the use of personal vehicles  10  on common roads is often based on and related to the safety of the personal vehicle driver. Laws may differ by location, but common safety steps may be implemented in many locations, regardless of the laws governing the personal vehicle  10 . Laws and safety focus on proper lighting elements  30  that can be displayed to keep other vehicles on the street better informed of the personal vehicle driver location and intentions. These lighting elements  30  may include brake lights, turn signals, headlights, hazard lights, license-illuminating lights, and possibly running lights (aka parking lights). Additional elements  30  that may be desired could include a horn, a windshield wiper, accessory outlet (allowing an owner to provide power to an accessory of his/her choice), etc. 
         [0013]    For personal vehicles  10  that are not street-legal as new laws take effect, it will be difficult and expensive to update them for common-road-driving by separately adding each of the required elements. An owner would have to hire a mechanic to make the installations since the system would be difficult. Other difficulties with such a random method of updating include haphazard placement of controls in a variety of locations, failure of the added parts would be high due to the large number of pieces involved and locations for wires to be loosened. Also, in the case of an electrical failure, it could be difficult to locate a bad wire/connection due to the unorganized placement of the wires. 
         [0014]    The present invention relates to a wholly-inclusive system  22 . This system allows for mounting of a single, controlling system unit  20  with clearly marked functions, a limited and manageable number of quasi-protected or weather-resilient wires that are coded in a way that allows a non-electrician owner to make his/her own installations, and a power-pull architecture  60  for the system that does not significantly damage the power-storage units  61  during use. 
         [0015]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show the personal vehicle  10  after the electrical elements  30  have been added to the structure. Many of the elements  30  are positioned in locations relative to a traditional passenger vehicle (i.e. cars, trucks, etc.). It should be noted that due to the wide variety of personal vehicles on the market, different combinations of the electric elements  30  will be required. Some personal vehicles  10  come with headlights and/or running lights already installed. For these vehicles, it would be redundant to attach additional lights in such areas. The claimed invention encompasses an adaptive system that can adjust to the necessities of a personal vehicle owner. 
         [0016]    Many electrical systems  30  will include an innovative turn signal system  32 ,  33 . The turn signals  32 ,  33  can incorporate a timing mechanism  72  instead of or in addition to a turn-sensing mechanism  74 . This would allow the driver or a system manufacturer to include a predetermined time (i.e. 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 6 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, etc.) that the turn signal  32 ,  33  would be in an “on” position. Alternatively, the driver would have the option of adjusting the timing to suit his or her preferences. Upon expiration of that time, the turn signal  32 ,  33  would turn off without regard to whether or not the vehicle driver turned. This could eliminate the need for a turn-sensing mechanism. Such a development would also create an environment where the driver would not need to turn off a signal after actions that do not register on a turn-sensing mechanism (i.e. switching lanes, making only a shallow turn). 
         [0017]    Each of the electrical elements  30  are coordinated by a controlling system unit  20 . Such a controlling unit may be flexibly mounted in a location preferred by a driver. Depending on driver preferences, a controlling unit  20  may be formed in different shapes, sizes, and designs. For example, a personal vehicle controlling unit may be mounted within a box that sits next to the driver, on a keypad that sits on the steering wheel of the vehicle, on a skin formed to fit the dashboard or handlebars of the vehicle, etc.). The controlling unit  20  is the location of multiple switches that turn the electrical elements off and on. Switches may be of the toggle variety, push-button variety, conductance variety, radio-signal variety, magnetic variety, etc. A distinct feature of the controlling unit  20  should be water/weather resistance. 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  depicts the lighting system as embodied in a non-electrically-powered personal vehicle. Although the lighting elements  30  are the same as in previous figures, many traditional personal vehicles, including bicycles, do not incorporate a power storage unit. In  FIG. 3 , the power storage  61  is added to the personal vehicle frame to provide power for use by the lighting elements  30 . Of course, electric bicycles have a battery incorporated so no separate power storage would need to be added. Thus, for personal vehicles with a preexisting power storage unit  30  the lighting system may tap into already-stored power. However, if no power storage  30  is initially included as part of the personal vehicle, then the lighting system is able to incorporate power storage as a cohesive structure with each of the lighting elements. 
         [0019]    It is worth noting that certain challenges are unique to installing a comprehensive system on smaller personal vehicles  10 , such as bicycles, where the entire system of lighting elements  30  has an increased exposure to rain, wind, and other natural and corrosive elements during outdoor use. Extra steps can be taken to ensure longevity of the electrical elements  30  through strategically weatherizing (i.e. threading any connectors through the frame of the personal vehicle, encasing connectors in a protecting sheath, employing multiple-conductor cables, etc.). 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  demonstrates how the system  30  is suitable for installation by a non-electrician-owner. The system  30  may be organized and labeled in such manner to demonstrate proper installation methods. Labels  50  may include colors, letters, shapes, patterned wires or inserts, mating connectors, etc. It is contemplated to package the entire system already assembled. In this way a non-electrician owner can simply place the electrical elements  30  where the owner wishes with minimal to no knowledge of electrical circuits. Although the system  30  is currently shown with connecting wires, it is possible and contemplated to eliminate wires through optional wireless control (i.e. radio frequency interference). 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates the lighting system  30  as applied to an electrical-powered vehicle. Such a system  30  has a focus of avoiding excessive draw from a single battery, thereby increasing the life of the electrical power system  61  through installation that can be accomplished by a non-electrician owner. Depending on the differing power needs of the systems, one or more converters may be incorporated within the lighting system  30 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  demonstrates the street-legalizing system  30  as applied to a non-electrical-powered personal vehicle (e.g. a gasoline-powered, human-powered, animal-powered, etc.). It should be noted that this figure shows a system  30  reliant on battery power from independently mounted batteries. This is but one optional state for pulling power to run the lights. Alternative power sources are also considered to serve this purpose. 
         [0023]    Although the system has been shown and described in a particular manner, equivalent modifications and alterations will occur to those skilled in the art after reading and studying this specification. Such alterations are obvious and incorporated within the current disclosure as all features described hereinabove may be combined in a multiplicity of ways that may or may not have been explicitly described in the present application.