Auxiliary lamp mounting system for a roll bar

Auxiliary lamps may be mounted on a vehicle so that the lamps may be selectively moved out of the wind stream or into a forwardly facing position. The lamps are mounted on a rotatable rod at selectable positions anywhere along the length of the rod. The rod is rotated with a motor spaced from the rod out of the wind stream. The rod may be mounted on a roll bar or attached to a drip rail at the rear of the vehicle roof.

The present invention relates to systems for mounting auxiliary lamps on a 
vehicle so that the auxiliary lamps may be selectively moved out of the 
vehicle wind stream or into a forwardly facing position, and more 
particularly to a system for mounting a rotatable lamp mounting rod on a 
vehicle where the motor for rotating the rod is out of the vehicle wind 
stream and in which auxiliary lamps of any type may be selectively 
positioned anywhere along the length of the rod. 
Various types of vehicles carry auxiliary lamps (lamps in addition to those 
required by law) that protrude above the roof of the vehicle. Such lamps 
are typically mounted on a vehicle roof or roll bar and may serve various 
purposes, including those related to off-road recreational activities and 
security functions. In their operating position, auxiliary lamps direct 
light in front of the vehicle from a forward facing position above the 
line of sight of the driver. When the lamps are not being used they 
protrude above the roof of the vehicle in the wind stream, adding to 
vehicle aerodynamic drag and wind noise, making entry into garages and 
other height restricted areas sometimes impossible, and exposing the lamps 
to potential damage from debris. 
When a vehicle is moving forward, air flows around the vehicle (that is, 
around any projections such as the vehicle body, windshield, etc.) 
creating a wind stream around the vehicle. An article not behind (relative 
to the direction of the wind stream) another object projects into the 
vehicle wind stream, and is out of the wind stream when it is behind 
another object. 
Retractable auxiliary lamps are known, and while the known lamp retraction 
systems resolve some of the above-mentioned problems by withdrawing the 
lamps from the wind stream, the solutions pose new problems. For example, 
the lamps may be mounted on a separate rod carried above the vehicle roll 
bar that protrudes into the wind stream. Known systems use a motor to 
rotate the rod so that the lamps may be rotated rearwardly from a forward 
facing position to an upward facing position out of the wind stream. 
However, in such systems the motor is carried inside the rotating rod 
making motor maintenance difficult at best, and further increasing the 
drag of the mounting rod (the rod must be big enough to accommodate the 
motor). Further, a user cannot add lamps or change their location as these 
systems include complicated gear driven mechanisms that limit the 
locations of the lamps along the length of the mounting rod to those 
locations that have been predetermined. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 
4,722,030 to Bowden.) 
To reduce the drag of the lamp mounting assembly, it is known to place 
auxiliary lamps in a roof-mounted spoiler. However, even though drag may 
be reduced, the height of the vehicle is increased, the lamp rotating 
mechanism is still complicated and difficult to reach and maintain, and 
lamps cannot be added or moved. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 
4,787,665 and 4,707,014 to Rich.) Manual systems, such as suggested by 
Widhalm, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,845, move the lamps out of the wind 
stream, but are cumbersome to operate. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel 
auxiliary lamp mounting system with a motor-rotated lamp mounting rod on a 
vehicle roll bar that obviates the problems of the prior art. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel 
auxiliary lamp mounting system in which a motor for rotating the lamp 
mounting rod is out of the wind stream in a position that facilitates 
motor maintenance. 
It is a still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel 
auxiliary lamp mounting system with a motor operated lamp mounting rod in 
which the mounting rod accommodates lamps at selectable positions along 
its length. 
It is a yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel 
auxiliary lamp mounting system in which the motor for rotating the lamp 
mounting rod is attached to a roll bar support leg spaced from the 
mounting rod. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel auxiliary 
lamp mounting system in which the lamp mounting rod is attached to a drip 
rail at the rear of the roof of the vehicle and the motor for rotating the 
lamp mounting rod is carried below the rod out of the wind stream. 
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will 
be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention 
pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the 
following detailed description of preferred embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the auxiliary lamp mounting system 
of the present invention may include a lamp mounting rod 10 that is 
carried by two sleeves 12 and that is rotated by a motor 14 that moves an 
arm 16 attached to the rod 10. The sleeves 12 are attached to a part of a 
vehicle that will provide adequate support for the the rod and lamps, and 
the motor 14 is carried out of the wind stream. For example, the sleeves 
12 may be attached to a roll bar 18 that has a crosspiece 20 and 
downwardly depending support legs 22, and the motor 14 may be mounted on 
one of the support legs 22 substantially out of the vehicle wind stream. 
The direction of wind when the vehicle is moving is shown by the arrows in 
FIG. 1 and 2. The vehicle may have a wind shielding element 24 that may be 
a cab, a wind shield, a spoiler or the like. 
When the motor 14 is operated, the rod 10 rotates to move the auxiliary 
lamps 26 from a forward facing position as illustrated in FIG. 1, to an 
upward facing position substantially out of the wind stream as illustrated 
in FIG. 2, or to any other position selected by the operator. One or more 
stopper arms 28 may be attached to the rod 10 to prevent over-rotation. 
With further reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the rod 10 may be any suitable 
shape, although if the rod protrudes into the wind stream the shape may be 
generally circular to reduce drag. The rod 10 may be hollow or solid and 
have a length that is appropriate for the number of lamps to be carried. 
In the absence of a specified length, the rod 10 may have a length about 
the same as the width of the vehicle. Lamps 26 may be affixed to the rod 
10 at any position along its length using conventional mounting hardware. 
For example, the rod 10 may have plurality of holes 30 for receiving lamp 
mounting bolts 32. The bolts 32 may extend through the rod 10 and be 
fastened with a nut 34 on the opposite side of the rod. Alternatively, the 
lamps 26 may be mounted on the rod 10 with clamps (such as the 
screw-tightened clamp 36 illustrated in FIG. 3). Appropriate security 
devices may also be used to prevent theft. The lamps 26 may be 
conventional and need not be the same type. They may be mounted along the 
length of the rod between, and/or outside of, the sleeves 12. 
The rod 10 is held in place by two or more sleeves 12 that extend partially 
or completely around the rod 10. The sleeves 12 are lubricated or include 
bearings to facilitate rotation of the rod 10. The rod 10 and sleeves 12 
may include conventional devices for preventing lateral movement of the 
rod 10, such as rings or stoppers 37. 
In one embodiment, the sleeves 12 may be attached to the crosspiece 20 of a 
roll bar 18 or its support legs 22, and are spaced apart sufficiently to 
hold the rod 10 in place. The rod 10 may be above the roll bar crosspiece 
20 so that it protrudes into the wind stream, or may be lowered so that 
the rod 10 is out of the wind stream behind the roll bar crosspiece 20 or 
wind shielding element 24. The placement of the sleeves 12 and the rod 10 
depends, at least in part, on the type of roll bar 18 and the wind 
shielding element 24. 
The motor 14 and arm 16 may be more clearly seen in FIG. 3. The motor 
preferably generates rotational movement, such as the movement of linkage 
38 indicated by its associated arrow. For example, a conventional motor 
for retracting automobile headlights may be suitable. When the motor 14 is 
operated, linkage 38 rotates arm 16 as indicated its associated arrow to 
rotate the rod through the desired amount (the amount of rotation 
depending on the desired aim of the lamps 26). The motor 14 may be housed 
in a housing 40 that is carried out of the wind stream. The housing 40 may 
be removable, or have a removable portion, to facilitate maintenance of 
the motor 14. The motor 14 is separated from the rod 10 to decrease the 
likelihood that motor maintenance will affect alignment of the lamps 26. 
Power for the motor 14 may be provided from the vehicle through 
appropriate electrical connections (not shown) that may include an 
operating switch inside the vehicle passenger compartment. The switch may 
move the lamps through 90.degree. whenever the switch is operated (no 
intermediate positions available), or may move the lamps into any 
available position by stopping the motor at the desired interim position. 
With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the present invention may be used with 
a roll bar 42 that has rearwardly depending support legs 44 (such as 
typically used in the bed of a pick-up truck). The motor 14 and the rod 10 
may be mounted on the rearwardly depending support legs 44 out of the wind 
stream (for example, behind the pick-up cab or behind the roll bar 
crosspiece or support legs). The present invention may also be used with a 
roll bar 46 with downwardly depending support legs 48 (such as may be 
found in the rear of a utility vehicle, e.g., a Jeep.RTM.). The motor 14 
may be mounted on one of the downwardly depending support legs 48 and 
protected from the wind stream by the support leg 48 on which it is 
mounted. 
In another embodiment, and with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the present 
invention may be attached to the rear of a vehicle roof so that the motor 
14 is out of the wind stream. For example, a support 50 for the sleeves 12 
and motor 14 may be attached to the drip rail 52 that protrudes from the 
edge of the roof of a vehicle 54, or directly to the roof with appropriate 
mounting brackets 56. The support 50 may extend across the rear of the 
roof of the vehicle as illustrated in FIG. 7 or may include two sections, 
one at each side of the vehicle. The support 50 may be permanently 
attached, as by welding, or may be removably attached with conventional 
mounting hardware so that the support 50, motor 14, rod 10 and lamps 26 
may be removed when use of the lamps is not envisioned. The motor 14 is 
desireably positioned so that it does not obstruct the view through the 
vehicle rear window and may be attached directly to the vehicle cab out of 
the wind stream. The sleeves 12 may also be attached directly to the 
vehicle cab. The lamp mounting rod 10 may be behind the roof out of the 
wind stream so that only the lamps 26 protrude into the wind stream when 
they are rotated into the position shown in FIG. 7. 
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, 
it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative 
only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the 
appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence, many variations 
and modifications naturally occurring to those skilled in the art from a 
perusal hereof.