Abstract:
This disclosure describes a system for disconnecting electrical current between a vehicle and a trailer such as a boat trailer. A switch is positioned on the boat trailer and is conductivity connected to the electrical connection between the vehicle and the trailer. A receiver is also mounted on the boat trailer and is connected to the switch. The receiver is configured to active and deactivate the switch via a remote controller.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an electronic device used for controlling the electrical power between a vehicle and a trailer that is being towed, in particular a trailer used to launch, retrieve and carry a boat. 
         [0002]    Boat trailers are used to launch and retrieve a boat from a body of water. A boat trailer typically has an electrical system that is connected to the electrical system of a car. In most states, the trailer has to be equipped with running lights, stop lights and turning signal lights. Such lights, at the very least have to be on during nighttime hours while towing the trailer. The vehicle is generally equipped with a connector, either female or male that provides electrical power when connected to an opposing female or male connector which is connected to the trailer lighting system. The opposing female or male connector is external to the vehicle. 
         [0003]    Traditionally, a rear portion of the trailer necessarily is submerged in the body of water for a portion of time during launch and retrieval. During carriage of the boat to the body of water, the trailer is towed by a vehicle and the boat trailer utilizes the electrical system of the vehicle as a means of operating the boat trailer lighting system. The tail lights of the trailer lights on the boat trailer are usually the first portion of the trailer submerged into the body of water during launch and retrieval. 
         [0004]    A condition that can damage the light bulbs in the tail lights is created when the boat trailer is submerged. New boat trailer lights are designed to be waterproof. However, over time, the casings on the trailer lights become damaged, or at the very least lose their waterproofing during normal use. The casing may develop cracks or become loosened and allow water to enter the casing. When the cracked or loosened light casings are submerged during launch and retrieval, water damages the bulbs if the lights are still on and/or warm. Contact with the water may also result in blown fuses on the towing vehicle and/or boat trailer. The individual light bulbs generally need to be replaced after the boat trailer is submerged in the water in order for the lights to work again during towing. 
         [0005]    To avoid cracking the bulbs of the boat trailer lights or blowing the fuse, the vehicle operator needs to remember before backing the boat trailer into the water that the boat lights are connected to the vehicle running lights. The vehicle needs to be stopped and the vehicle operator or a passenger needs to get out and go to the back of the vehicle and disconnect female/male connectors between the boat trailer lights and the vehicle. It is also a good idea to wait before backing the boat trailer into the water until the light bulbs cool sufficiently so that if the trailer lights do take on water, the bulbs will not be damaged. In addition, when retrieving the boat from the water using the trailer, the trailer lights can only be reconnected with the boat once the trailer is taken out of the water. Sometimes at the end of a boating day this detail can easily be forgotten. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    This disclosure describes a system for disconnecting electrical power between a vehicle and a trailer such as a boat trailer. A switch is positioned on the boat trailer and is conductively connected to the electrical connection between the vehicle and the trailer. A receiver is also mounted on the boat trailer and is connected to the switch. The receiver is configured to activate and deactivate the switch via a remote controller. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle connected to a boat trailer carrying a boat near a body of water using the device of this disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the receiver and remote control. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the receiver unit, illustrating electrical connections. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    This disclosure describes a remote controlled circuit system that eliminates the need for physical detachment of the external female and male connectors between a vehicle and a boat trailer. The remote controlled circuit system of this disclosure is mountable to the tow bar or trailer tongue of a boat trailer. It is installed without any special programming requirement. The system is adaptable to the boat trailer&#39;s existing standard four-pole connector wiring harness while eliminating the need to physically detach the external female and male connectors between the vehicle and the boat. 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the electrical device of this disclosure is generally indicated at  10 . A hitch generally indicated at  12  mechanically connects a boat trailer  14  to a vehicle  16 . The vehicle  16  is electrically connected to the boat trailer  14  via standard female/male connectors  18  and  20  (sometimes referred to herein as “wiring harness”) to provide current to the boat trailer lighting system  22  as represented in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0012]    The lighting system  22  of a typical boat trailer including the boat trailer  14  illustrated in the drawings includes brake lights, turn signals and running lights, all represented by reference character  24  in  FIG. 1 . The brake lights, turn signals and running lights  24  are only shown on the left hand side of the boat trailer  14  and it is understood that there is a complimentary right hand light casing on the boat trailer that includes a brake light, turn signal and running light. The boat trailers brake lights, turn signals and running lights correspond to the vehicle&#39;s  16  brake lights, running lights and turn signals which are represented by light casings  26  and  28 . Therefore, when connected, the vehicle&#39;s  16  brake lights are activated, the boat trailer&#39;s  14  brake lights are also activated. Similarly, when the vehicle&#39;s  16  running lights are turned on, the boat trailer&#39;s  14  running lights are turned on. Likewise, when either the right or left turn signal of the vehicle  16  is activated, the corresponding right or left turn signal of the boat trailer  14  is also activated. To switch off the prior art electrical connection between the boat trailer  14  and the vehicle  16 , either the driver or the passenger, if one is present, has to exit the vehicle  16  and physically disconnect the male and the female lighting connectors from each other. 
         [0013]    This disclosure describes a system that switches off the boat trailer  14  lighting system  22  while the vehicle  16  lighting system  30  remains operational. An operator controls the state of operation of the boat trailer lighting system  22  via operation of the device  10 , which is located on the boat trailer  14 . The operator can be the driver of the vehicle  16  and need not exit the vehicle to switch off the trailer lighting. 
         [0014]    As further illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an embodiment of this disclosure comprises a receiver unit  36  that is mounted onto a tow bar or tongue  34  of the boat trailer  14 . The receiver unit  36  includes a housing  38  that is configured for easy mounting on the tow bar or tongue  34  of the boat trailer  14  and an electronic module  32  for controlling a flow of electrical power. 
         [0015]    The housing  38  comprises a base wall  40  and a cover  42  as best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The base wall  40  and cover  42  have substantially smooth outside surfaces. The base wall  40  has a grooved raised edge along both longitudinal lengths. The cover  42  is significantly concave in relation to the base wall  40  of the housing  38 , with a raised lip  50  running along both longitudinal edges. When the cover  42  is connected to the base wall  40  the enclosure is secured by the interlocking of the longitudinal edges of the cover  42  and the base wall  40 . The interlocking of edges of the base wall  40  and the cover  42  also render the housing  38  water-tight, protecting the internal components for exposure to water during boat launch and retrieval. 
         [0016]    The base wall  40  extends longitudinally on both sides  54  and  56  beyond the cover  42  as a means of removably attaching the housing  38  to a tow bar or trailer tongue  34 . Each extended side portion  54  and  56  of the base wall  40  is adapted with a hole  60  and  62  which allows for attachment of the housing  38 , and thus the receiver unit  36 , to the tow bar or trailer tongue  34  as discussed further below. 
         [0017]    The latitudinal edge  64  of the cover  42  is comprised of an angular riser adapted with a series of four holes  66  which allow a four pole trailer light wiring system  22  to connect to the electronic module  32  inside the housing  38  of the receiver unit  36  via a wiring harness. A substantially identical series of four holes (not shown) on the identical opposing longitudinal edge (not shown) of the cover  42  mates to the four pole vehicle lights  30  wiring system. The wiring harnesses are connected simultaneously into the receiver unit  36  to complete current flow. For example, the receiver unit  36  can be adapted to a 4-pole connector in order to accommodate a typical boat trailer wiring harness and vehicle wiring system. 
         [0018]    The housing  38  contains the electronic module  32  for controlling flow of current from the vehicle&#39;s lighting system  30  to the boat trailer&#39;s lighting system  22 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The electrical connection is comprised generally of an electrical circuit  74  and an operating switch  26 . The housing  38  further includes standard conductive female sockets for receiving male conductive counterparts  46  of male connector  44  of the vehicle lighting system  30 . On an opposite end of the housing  38 , male conductive connectors  48  are insertable into female conductive sockets  52  of female connector  54  of the boat trailer lighting system  22 . If the female/male connectors of the vehicle and boat trailer lighting system are reversed, the position of the device may be turned 180 degrees to accommodate the connectors. 
         [0019]    The conductive sockets are connected by wiring through an 8 bit micro-controller  72 . Other appropriate electronic controllers may be used. The micro-controller  72  and switch  26  are easily installed to connect the vehicle wiring to the boat trailer wiring via the pre-existing wiring harnesses for the lighting systems of the boat trailer and the vehicle. The micro-controller  72  is wired to and controlled by the operation of the operating switch  26 . The micro-controller  72  is secured to the inside surface  68  of the base wall  40 . The electrical connection comprised generally of the electrical circuit  74  and the operating switch  26  can be configured for two operating states, “on” and “off”. In the “on” operating state, the electrical power flows continuously between the input connection and the output connection and the boat trailer lights. In the “off” operating state, the operating switch  26  interrupts the flow of electrical power from the vehicle lights  30  to the trailer lights  22 . In the “off” state, no electrical power flows to the boat trailer lights. 
         [0020]    No screws or other similar types of hardware are needed to secure the receiver unit  38  to the tow bar or trailer tongue  34 . The receiver unit  38  is mounted to the boat trailer&#39;s tow bar or tongue  34  through the use of fitted straps  74  and  76 , sometimes known as “cable ties” or “zip ties”. The straps  74  and  76  connect the base wall  34  to the tow bar or trailer tongue  58 . The straps  74  and  76  are attached to the base wall  34  at holes  30  and  62  and are simultaneously wrapped around the tow bar or trailer tongue  58 . The receiver unit  28  can be easily removed or moved, or used with various trailers without having to drill holes or otherwise adapt the tow bar or trailer tongue. Of course, screws or bolts can be used by inserting the screws or bolts through apertures  36  and into the trailer tongue or tow bar  34 . 
         [0021]    Construction of the receiver unit  28  and its mounting mechanism allow for the entire wiring connection and switch  26  to be contained within the receiver unit  28  and attached to the actual tow bar or trailer tongue  58  of the boat trailer  14 . Placement of the electrical module  30  and operational switch  26  on the actual trailer tongue  58  allows for quick installation of the switch  26  without special programming or wiring harness adapters. The location also allows for easy and quick access to and connection with the existing wiring harness of the boat trailer. 
         [0022]    One purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the traditional method of manually unplugging the boat trailer from the vehicle before launching the boat and then re-connecting the wiring harness before travel on the road. The switch  26  used for turning the lights on a boat trailer on and off by disrupting the current from the vehicle&#39;s lighting system, is activated or deactivated by use of a portable remote  74 . The remote  74  sends a signal wirelessly to the receiver unit  38  mounted on the boat trailer  14 , where the electrical module  32  inside the receiver unit  38  allows for the signal to activate the switch  26  and in turn the micro-controller  72  to turn the power (e.g. 12 volt) on and off as desired by the operator. The remote  74  may be handheld, attached to a buoyant key ring, or attached to a person, or kept in the vehicle. 
         [0023]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.