Land vehicle remotely controlled movable light system

Disclosed herein is a land vehicle remotely controlled movable light system. The system includes a plurality of lights which are mounted in various locations on the vehicle each of which includes an adjustment mechanism attached thereto enabling the adjustment of the rotative and annular position of the light. The adjustments are made via a controller mechanism which may be removably attached within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and including one controller device for each light. In the preferred embodiment, the controller mechanism may be attached within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and may operate the lighting devices through the use of electrical conductors wires within the vehicle. Alternatively, when it is desired to control the lights from outside the vehicle, the controller mechanism may be selectively removed from the passenger compartment and may be utilized to control each light through the use of wireless transmission from transmitters mounted in the controller mechanism to individual receivers mounted on each light control.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the prior art, remotely controlled lighting systems are known. For 
example, it is known to control an exterior light on a police vehicle from 
the interior of the car. Furthermore, many boats include remotely 
controlled spotlights. 
Furthermore, the following U.S. Patents teach the concept of remotely 
activated vehicle lights: U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,437 to Meggitt, U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,662,605 to Riggs, U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,575 to Ross and U.S. Pat. No. 
2,901,595 to Shosted. Shosted in particular teaches an exterior spotlight 
the position and direction of which may be controlled through the use of 
an interior handle. 
However, none of these patents teaches the concept of a plurality of lights 
mounted in different places on a vehicle, each of which is individually 
controllable either through the use of hard wired electrical conductors or 
through the use of wireless communication as desired by the user. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies found in the prior art as 
discussed hereinabove, and provides a new and improved light system 
wherein a plurality of lights may be mounted on a vehicle and may be 
individually controlled through the provision of both electrical 
conductors and wireless transmission either within the vehicle or outside 
the vehicle. The present invention includes the following interrelated 
aspects and features: 
(a) In a first aspect, the present invention contemplates a plurality of 
lights each of which may be mounted in a different location on the 
vehicle. Examples of such locations are beneath the front bumper and above 
the roof although other areas may prove useful. For example, on a tow 
truck or wrecker, it might be advantageous to mount one or more lights in 
the rear portion of the vehicle so that the driver may view the area 
behind the vehicle to assist in towing another vehicle. 
(b) A single controller mechanism is provided to control all of the lights 
and includes a control device for each light which is to be controlled. 
The control device may, if desired, comprise a joy stick. However, if 
desired, other equivalent structures may be utilized such as, for example, 
a ball rolling on a conductive surface or a flat switch which is pivotable 
in all directions to correspondingly control movements of the controlled 
light. 
(c) In a further aspect, the controller mechanism, in the preferred 
embodiment, is designed to be electrically coupled to the lights via two 
alternative means. Firstly, the controller mechanism is interconnected 
with the lights through the use of hard wired electrical conductors. These 
electrical conductors are wired within the vehicle to the locations of the 
lights and the electrical conductors are electrically wired to adjustment 
means attached to each light and including electrical motors or other 
devices designed to adjust the light position. 
(d) Additionally, the controller mechanism is provided with a transmitter 
for each control device and each adjustment means includes a receiver. 
Each transmitter transmits signals at a unique frequency with respect to 
the frequency of transmission of the other transmitters so that signals 
intended to adjust one light will not adjust any other lights on the 
vehicle. As should be understood, sufficient frequencies are available 
that there should be no danger that transmissions from one vehicle will 
activate the lights of another vehicle. 
(e) In a further aspect, the controller mechanism includes a switch for 
each control device which controls whether signals from the control device 
will be transmitted to each adjustment means via electrical conductors or 
wireless transmission and reception. Through the use of the inventive 
controller mechanism, the controller mechanism may either be maintained 
within the passenger compartment of the vehicle with transmission and 
reception being had through the use of the electrical conductors or, 
alternatively, wireless transmission may be utilized with the controller 
mechanism being located either within the passenger compartment or 
detached from the dashboard and removed outside the vehicle where 
operation may be had through the use of portable batteries. 
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a 
land vehicle remotely controlled movable light system. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a light 
system wherein the lights thereof may be controlled either through the use 
of electrical conductors or through wireless transmission and reception. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such an 
improved light system wherein control of the lights thereof may be had 
either within a vehicle or outside the vehicle. 
These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will 
be better understood from the following detailed description of the 
preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the appended drawing 
figures.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference first to FIG. 1, a land vehicle 1 is depicted which has 
mounted thereon a plurality of adjustable lights 3. Each adjustable light 
3 includes a lamp 5, an adjustment means 7 and a connection stem 9 
interconnecting the adjustment means 7 and the lamp 5. 
With reference to FIG. 3, one of the devices 3 along with the associated 
electronics is schematically depicted. As shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment 
means 9 may comprise a positioning device similar to that which is now 
used to adjust side mirrors on a vehicle and also to adjust a spotlight on 
a yacht. The positioning device includes an outer casing 11 which may be 
made of any durable weather-proof material such as, for example, aluminum 
alloys, plastic, iron sheeting and the like. Furthermore, the device 9 is 
specifically designed to be impervious to the various weather conditions 
which may be encountered by a land vehicle and, as well, is designed to 
resist the usual vibrations which accompany vehicle motion. 
As seen in FIG. 3, the housing 11 has emanating therefrom several 
electrical conductors. The conductors 13, 15 send signals from a joy 
stick-type controller 17 to the positioning device 9 to control the 
movements thereof. Of course, as stated hereinabove, other devices may be 
utilized in place of the joy stick such as for example a conductive ball 
rolling on a conductive surface or a flat switch which may pivot in all 
directions. Further, servo limit switches 51 are provided each having an 
actuator 53 mounted in the path of movement of the light 5 to prevent the 
light from damaging adjacent vehicle structure. When the light 5 engages 
and moves the actuator 53, this fact is transmitted to the positioning 
device 9 via conductor 55 and the positioning device 9 than reverses the 
movement of the light 5 enough to disengage from the actuator 53. Each 
light 5 may have associated therewith as many switches 51 as are necessary 
depending upon mounting location. Furthermore, the conductor 19 extends 
from the vehicle battery 10 to the housing 11 and includes a switch 21. 
Operation of the switch 21 controls the illumination of the lamp 5. The 
switch 23 enables the user to connect and disconnect the electrical 
conductors 13, 15 between the joy stick 17 and the positioning device 9. 
With further reference to FIG. 3, it is seen that connected to the joy 
stick 17 is a transmitter 25 which has its own portable battery 27 and 
which is selectively connected to the joy stick 17 by virtue of an 
electrical conductor 29 and a switch 31. As contemplated, the switches 23 
and 31 are interconnected so that opening of the switch 23 will result in 
closing of the switch 31 and vice versa. The switch 21 operates 
independently of the switches 23, 31. 
With reference to FIG. 2, a controller mechanism 40 is seen to include a 
housing 41 having a pair of threaded rods 43 extending outwardly therefrom 
and having removably attached thereto nuts 45. The rods 43 and nuts 45 are 
provided to enable the controller 40 to be detachably attached to a 
bracket (not shown) mounted within the passenger compartment of the land 
vehicle 1. Of course, the means of attachment of the mechanism 40 may be 
of any known type including a pair of projections (not shown) designed on 
the housing 41 to snap in and out of the mounting bracket. 
As seen in FIG. 2, a number of switches are included on the housing 41. The 
switches 21 correspond to the switch 21 shown in FIG. 3. The switches 47 
correspond to the switches 23, 31 of FIG. 3 with the on position of the 
switches 47 corresponding to closure of the switch 31 and corresponding 
opening of the switch 23, whereas, the off position of the switches 47 
corresponds to the closed position of the switch 23 and the corresponding 
open position of the switch 31 as seen in FIG. 3. Also seen in FIG. 2 are 
a plurality of joy sticks 17 which are shown by way of example only. 
Finally, an antenna 49 which may be of the telescoping type is provided on 
the housing 41, which antenna 49 is connected to a plurality of 
transmitters corresponding to the transmitter 25 in FIG. 3 with there 
being contained within the housing 41 one transmitter 25 for each joy 
stick 17 and lamp 5. It should be understood that each such transmitter 25 
transmits at a unique frequency different from the frequencies of the 
other transmitters so that each receiver associated with each positioning 
device 9 may receive signals from the appropriate transmitter. In this 
regard, with reference back to FIG. 3, the receiver 26 includes an 
integrally mounted micro-processor as does the transmitter 25. Thus, 
signals from the joy stick 17 travel from the conductor 29 to the micro 
processor section of the transmitter 25 where they are converted into 
signal which may be transmitted by the transmitter 25 to the receiver 26, 
with the microprocessor thereof converting the received signals into 
electrical impulses which travel through conductor 28 to the positioning 
device 9 where the positioning device 9 may operate to adjust the position 
of the lamp 9. 
If desired, the housing 41 may divide into two halves at interface 57 with 
detachable connection being had through plug 59 and socket 61. In such 
case, each half of the housing 41 would have its own redundant circuitry 
including battery, transmitter, receiver, antenna (49,63) and conductor. 
With such a structure, two individuals could operate different lights on 
the vehicle from different locations. 
Thus, it should be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3 that the present invention 
is designed to be utilized in a manner wherein the positioning device 9 is 
either controlled through the conductors 13 and 15 via the joy stick 17 or 
via wireless transmission from the transmitter/microprocessor 25 to the 
receiver/microprocessor 26. This is the case due to the alternate 
actuation of the switches 23, 31 as more clearly shown by the switches 47 
in FIG. 2 wherein the off position of the switches 47 corresponds to 
control of the positioning device 9 via the conductors 13 and 15 and 
wherein control of the positioning devices 9 through wireless transmission 
between the transmitter/ microprocessor 25 and the receiver/microprocessor 
26 corresponds to the on position of the switches 47. 
As should be understood, each sub-system 3 includes conductors 13, 15 and 
19 and, as such, on the back of the controller 40 a wiring harness is 
provided including a coupling designed to couple wires 13, 15 and 19 for 
each sub-system 3 to the appropriate switches and joy stick on the 
controller 40. Electrical coupling devices are well known in the prior art 
and the present invention includes a coupling device (not shown) having 12 
pins and sockets with 3 pins being utilized for each sub-system 3. In this 
way, when it is desired to remove the controller 40 from the passenger 
compartment of the vehicle, a single electrical coupling mechanism is 
disconnected from the housing 41 whereupon the nuts 45 may be loosened and 
the device 40 may be easily removed from the vehicle. 
As should be understood from the above explanation, the housing 41 has 
mounted therein a single transmitter/microprocessor 25 for each sub-system 
3 with each such transmitter/microprocessor 25 transmitting at a unique 
frequency which is received by the corresponding receiver/microprocessor 
26. The single antenna 49 shown in FIG. 2 is attached in parallel to each 
transmitter/microprocessor 25 so as to enable the broadcasting of the 
appropriate signals therefrom. The battery 27 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted 
within the housing 41. The receiver/microprocessors 26 do not need 
portable batteries since they are integrally connected into the electrical 
system of the vehicle and receive power from the battery 10 at all times. 
Operation of the subject invention should be self-explanatory in light of 
the above disclosure. When it is desired to adjust the lamps 5 of one or 
more of the sub-systems 3, the joy stick 17 or equivalent structure is 
adjusted in a manner well known to those skilled in the art so that 
resulting movements of the lamp 5 via the connection means 7 are attained. 
If such control of the sub-systems 3 is desired within the passenger 
compartment of the vehicle 1, the switches 47 are turned to the off 
position which will result in control of the sub-systems 3 via the 
respective conductors 13, 15 and 19. When it is desired to control the 
sub-systems 3 by wireless transmission, the switches 47 are turned to the 
on position which, in FIG. 3, will result in opening of the switches 23 
and closing of the switches 31. In this mode of operation, the device 40 
may be left in the passenger compartment in mounted position or, if 
desired, may be removed from the passenger compartment and the sub-systems 
3 may be operated from a remote location with the distance from the 
vehicle being limited only by the range of operation of the transmitter 
and receiver. 
It should be understood that it is advantageous in many cases to be able to 
operate the sub-systems 3 from outside the vehicle 1. For example, when 
the vehicle 1 is a wrecker or tow truck, it is sometimes desirable to be 
able to remotely control lamps from outside the vehicle while another 
vehicle is being positioned for towing or other service such as repair 
late at night. Thus, due to the removable nature of the controller 40, the 
lights which may be conveniently mounted on the rear of the wrecker or tow 
truck may easily be controlled remotely in a convenient and expedient way. 
Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations in the teachings 
of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art 
without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. As such, it 
is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the 
appended claims.