Abstract:
A harness system is provided that allows for the connection of auxiliary lights disposed on an attachment for a motor vehicle, such as a snow plow, trailer, or the like, that enables the auxiliary lights to be quickly connected and disconnected from the electrical system of the vehicle. The connection made between the auxiliary lights and the vehicle electrical system utilizing the harness system disconnects the vehicle headlights and other signal lights such that power utilized to operate these vehicle lights is redirected to the auxiliary lights disposed on the attachment. The harness system includes an adapter harness connected between the electrical system of the vehicle and either the vehicle lights or the auxiliary lights is such that only one connection needs to be broken and reestablished in order to switch the power from the vehicle electrical system between the auxiliary lights from the vehicle lights, or vice versa.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/827,293, filed on Sep. 28, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to attachments for vehicles, such as trailers and snowplows, among others, and more specifically to a wiring harness system for connecting auxiliary lights disposed on a vehicle attachment to the power system of the vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Many different types of devices and attachments are designed for use with existing vehicles, such as trailers and snow plows, among others, to enable the vehicles to perform functions in addition to transporting individuals and items from one location to another. These attachments are designed to be secured to either the front or rear of the vehicle, and often times obscure the headlights or taillights and turn signal lights located on the vehicle when attached to the vehicle. Therefore, in order to provide an operator of the vehicle with the ability to utilize the vehicle and the attachment in low light or during nighttime conditions, and to indicate the direction of the vehicle and attachment are traveling to other vehicles, it is necessary to include substitute or auxiliary lights on the attachment that is secured to the vehicle. 
         [0004]    To control the operation of these lights from the interior of the vehicle, these auxiliary lights on the attachment must be operatively connected to the vehicle. To do so, a number of different types of operative connections have been developed which enable the connection of the auxiliary lights on the attachment to the electrical system of the vehicle such that the auxiliary lights can be powered and controlled by the operator of the vehicle. 
         [0005]    However, while these systems enable the auxiliary lights on the attachment to be powered and controlled by the operator of the vehicle, the systems involve a number of complicated and cumbersome components that often must be integrated into the existing power system of the vehicle in order to allow for the auxiliary lights to be operated in conjunction with or entirely separately from the existing vehicle lights. In addition, those connection systems that can be added onto the existing electrical system within the vehicle also include multiple of components that each must be connected in a particular manner in order to enable the auxiliary lights to be operated in a correct manner. 
         [0006]    As a result, it is desirable to develop a system for connecting auxiliary lights disposed on a vehicle attachment to the electrical system of a vehicle which includes a minimum of components and which can easily be utilized with existing vehicle electrical systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    According to a first aspect of the invention, a harness system is provided for connecting auxiliary lights on a vehicle attachment, such as a snow plow, trailer or the like, to the electrical system of a vehicle on which the attachment is mounted. The system includes an adapter harness that is connected directly to the electrical system of the vehicle between the electrical system and a headlight for the vehicle. The adapter harness is directly securable to the electrical system of the vehicle at the junction where the vehicle headlight would normally be connected to the power system. The adapter harness includes a first connector that is connectable to a second connector located on a vehicle light harness secured to the vehicle headlight. In this method of operation, the adapter harness functions as a part of the electrical system of the vehicle by supplying power from the electrical system of the vehicle through the adapter harness and the vehicle light harness to the vehicle headlight. The harness system also includes an auxiliary light harness that is connected to the auxiliary lights disposed on the attachment, and which includes a third connector engageable with the first connector on the adapter harness. Thus, when an attachment is secured to the vehicle including the harness system, in order to operate the auxiliary lights, the vehicle light harness secured to the vehicle headlights is simply disconnected from the adapter harness, which is subsequently reconnected to the auxiliary light harness. This quickly and effectively disables the headlights while enabling the auxiliary headlights to be operated using the controls for the vehicle headlights within the vehicle. 
         [0008]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the adapter harness can be configured to be connected to the vehicle electrical system at one or both locations at which the vehicle headlights are connected to the electrical system such that either one or two adapter harnesses can be connected to the vehicle electrical system to supply power to either the vehicle lights or the auxiliary lights, further reducing the number of components of the harness system. 
         [0009]    According the still another aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary light harness and/or the vehicle light harness can also be configured to be connected to one light or both lights on the attachment or the vehicle such that the respective auxiliary or vehicle headlights can be connected to the adapter harness and electrical system of the vehicle and the adapter harness either using a single connection or a pair of separate connections. 
         [0010]    According to still a further aspect of the present invention, the various connectors on the adapter harness and the vehicle light harness or auxiliary light harness can be configured as desired both with regard to the number of electrical connections made between the connectors in order to operate various light configurations present on the vehicle or the attachment, including daytime running lights, if necessary. Further, the connectors on each of the pair of vehicle light or auxiliary light harnesses, if two harnesses are utilized, can be configured to allow each pair of harnesses to be connected to one another in sealing engagement to protect the connectors when not in use. 
         [0011]    Numerous other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawing figures. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The drawings illustrate the best mode currently contemplated of practicing the present invention. 
           [0013]    In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the harness system of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the harness system of  FIG. 1  illustrating the electrical connectors located on each of the adapter harness and auxiliary light harness of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a fifth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a sixth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a seventh embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view of an eighth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a schematic view of a ninth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is an schematic view of a tenth embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a schematic view of an eleventh embodiment of the harness system of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    With regard to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, a first embodiment of the harness system is indicated generally at  8  in  FIGS. 1-3 . Generally, the harness system  8  includes a left vehicle power harness  10   a  and a right vehicle power harness  10   b  that are connected to the power system or supply  9  within the vehicle (not shown) for the left and right vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b,  respectively. Power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b  can be integrally formed with the vehicle power system, or can be formed as parts of the system  8 , and each include respective adapter connectors  12   a  and  12   b,  which may be male connectors or female connectors. Each first connector  12   a  and  12   b  has a number of pins  13  that direct power to and from the power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b  and the associated lights  11   a  and  11   b.  The particular number of pins  13  in the connectors  12   a  and  12   b  can be varied depending upon the number of lights on the vehicle in addition to the lights  11   a  and  11   b,  such as daytime running lights and/or work lights (not shown). Also, the first connectors  12   a  and  12   b,  in instead of being formed of a single connector, can be formed with separate connector portions (not shown) that together form the connectors  12   a  and  12   b  and can each be connected to a corresponding part of the power supply of the vehicle. 
         [0027]    The system  8  also include a pair of adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  that are configured for interconnection with left and right vehicle power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b,  respectively. Adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  include respective first connectors  16   a  and  16   b,  which can be male or female and include a number of sockets  17  that are configured for engagement with the pins  13  located in the respective adapter connectors  12   a  and  12   b  on the left and right vehicle power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b,  or vice versa. At the opposite end, in one embodiment, the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  each includes a light connector  18   a  and  18   b,  each with the same pin or complementary slot configuration as the corresponding first connector  16   a  or  16   b  on the respective harness  14   a  or  14   b.  The connectors  18   c  and  18   b  can be formed separately or integrally, or each formed into separate connectors (not shown) to attach to varying lights on the attachment, such as low beam, high beam, headlight common, daytime running lights, turn lights, and work lights, among other types. 
         [0028]    The system  8  further includes a vehicle light adapter harness  20   a  connected to the primary left vehicle light  11   a,  and includes a second connector  22   a  that is configured to be engageable with the light connector  18   a  of adapter harness  14   a.  Similarly, a second vehicle light adapter harness  20   b  is connected to the right vehicle light  11   b,  and includes a second connector  22   b  that is configured to be engageable with the light connector  18   b  at the end of adapter harness  14   b.    
         [0029]    With regard to the particular attachment (not shown) that is to be secured to the vehicle, such as a snow plow, trailer, or the like, the system  8  also includes a left auxiliary light harness  24   a  that is connected to a left auxiliary light  25   a  disposed on the attachment at one end, and includes a third connector  26   a  at its opposite end that is configured to be securable to the light connector  18   a  on the adapter harness  14   a.  The system  8  also includes a right auxiliary light harness  24   b  that is connected to a right auxiliary light  25   b  disposed on the attachment at one end, and includes a third connector  26   b  at its opposite end that is configured to be securable to the light connector  18   b  on the adapter harness  14   b.    
         [0030]    The first connectors  16   a  and  16   b  and light connectors  18   a  and  18   b  on the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b,  the second connectors  22   a  and  22   b  on the light adapter harnesses  20   a  and  20   b,  and the third connectors  26   a  and  26   b  on the auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  may have as many sockets  17  or pins  13  as are needed to conform to those on the adapter connectors  12   a  and  12   b  and to supply power to all of the various lights with which the vehicle is equipped. The various connectors  16   a,    16   b,    22   a,    22   b,    26   a  and  26   b  may have as few as six (6) pins or as many as twelve (12) pins in order to handle vehicles with daytime running lights or work lights. Various versions of the harness system  8  may be employed to accommodate the presence or absence of daytime running lights on a vehicle. The connections between the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  and either the light adapter harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  or the auxiliary light harnesses  24   c  and  24   b  are preferably made near to, and most preferably, outside of the bumper of the vehicle. 
         [0031]    In one version of the system  8 , where the vehicle does not include a system for monitoring amperage changes in the turn and marker light circuits, the auxiliary turn and marker light circuits (not shown) are spliced into the vehicle turn and marker light circuits (not shown). This system allows the vehicle turn and marker lights to function when the auxiliary lights are attached to the vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle light harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  have three wires for high beam, low beam and common of the headlights  11   a  and  11   b.  When the turn or marker light is operated, both the vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b  and auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  operate. If daytime running lights are present, this system  8  uses either the high beam or low beam circuit to operate the daytime running lights. The function of the daytime running lights is transferred to the auxiliary lights when connected. Additionally, wiring for attachment controls, i.e., snow plow controls, and/or additional motors can be incorporated into the system  8 . 
         [0032]    In a second version of the system  8 , all of the lights including the turn and marker lights of the vehicle front lights are disengaged, e.g. when a snowplow is attached. The vehicle light adapter harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  again have six wires including high beam, low beam and common of the headlight and the turn, marker and common as well. With this system, only the auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  function when the plow is attached. When the vehicle light adapter harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  are attached, then all the front lights operate as original equipment. In a system such as this, the daytime running lights use one of the lamps (e.g. the high beam, low beam, turn or marker lamps) on the vehicle so that, when a snowplow is attached, the daytime running lights are transferred to the corresponding plow lamp. 
         [0033]    In a third version of the system  8 , an additional two wires are added to the six wires on the connectors  20   a  and  20   b  as set forth above for independent daytime running lights. Because of additional daytime running lights on the vehicle, the auxiliary lights can have two additional lights to be mounted to the snowplow attachment so that daytime running lights then function on the attachment, i.e., the snowplow. If no additional lights are added to the attachments, the lights on the attachment, as a result of a connection to a separate module (not shown) and the plow low beam circuit to reduce the power supplied in the circuit for the lights to be operated as daytime running lights. 
         [0034]    In the first embodiment of the system  8 , the light connector  18   a  of left adapter harness  14   a  is configured as a male connector and will only plug into either the second connector  22   a  on the left vehicle light adapter harness  20   a  or the third connector  26   a  left auxiliary light harness  24   a,  which are each configured as female connectors. Similarly, the light connector  18   b  of right adapter harness  14   b  is configured as a female connector and will only plug into either the second connector  22   b  on the right vehicle light adapter harness  20   b,  or the third connector  26   b  on the right auxiliary light harness  24   b,  which are each configured as male connectors. This configuration for the system  8  provides simple and foolproof attachment of either the vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b  or the auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  to the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  for proper operation of the system  8 . In addition, when the auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  are not in use and the vehicle light adapter harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  are connected to the respective adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b,  the female connector  26   a  and the male connector  26   b  of respective left and right auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  are connected together in a sealed manner in order to prevent corrosion when the connectors are plugged together and to prevent harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  from dangling within the engine compartment of the vehicle. Similarly, when the third connectors  26   a  and  26   b  on the auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  are connected to respective light connectors  18   a  and  18   b  of adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b,  the vehicle light connectors  22   a  and  22   b  are connected together. Again, this prevents corrosion of the connector components and also prevents the harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  from dangling in the engine compartment. 
         [0035]    As an alternative to the various connectors  22   a  and  22   b,  and  26   a  and  26   b  being engageable with one another when not in use, sealing caps  30  ( FIG. 2 ) can be disposed on the respective connectors  22   a,    22   b,    26   a  and  26   b  that are engaged with the exposed ends of each connector  22   a,    22   b,    26   a  and  26   b  to cover the exposed connection components and protect against corrosion. 
         [0036]    The harness system  8  including the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b,  the vehicle light harnesses  20   a  and  20   b,  and the auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b,  and the associated connectors, eliminates the need for a main harness, as is required with prior art systems, and enables the operator to operate the auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  using the same on/off switch as is used for the primary vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b.  The same switches for the other vehicle lights, e.g., turn lights, worker lights, etc. also can be used to operate the corresponding lights on the attachment. 
         [0037]    In other embodiments of the system  8 , as best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the connectors  22   a  and  22   b  for the vehicle light harnesses  20   a  and  20   b,  and the connectors  26   a  and  26   b  for the auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  can each be combined into one connector  22  and  26 , respectively, on a single vehicle light harness  20  and a single auxiliary light harness  24 . These individual connectors  22  and  26  can be connected to one of the light connectors  18   a  or  18   b  on one adapter harness  16   a  or  16   b  to power both vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b,  or both auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  from one side of the vehicle. The various connectors  18   a,    18   b,    22  and  26  can also be configured with the necessary number of pins  13  and sockets  17  to accommodate the particular circuits present in the vehicle power system. 
         [0038]    Alternatively, referring now to  FIGS. 6-9 , the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  can be combined similarly to the vehicle light harnesses  20   a  and  20   b  and the auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b  described previously to form a single adapter harness  16  with a single light connector  18  which can be utilized with the united vehicle light harness  20  and auxiliary light harness  24 . Further, as illustrated by the different circuits shown in the embodiments for the system  8  in  FIGS. 6-9 , the various connectors  18   a,    18   b,    22  and  26  can also be configured with the necessary number of pins  13  and sockets  17  to accommodate the particular circuits present in the vehicle power system. 
         [0039]    Looking now at  FIGS. 10 and 11 , in still further embodiments of the system  8 , the vehicle power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b  are omitted, such that the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  are connected directly to the vehicle power system at a point prior to the vehicle power system splitting towards the left and right side of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the adapter harnesses  14   a  and  14   b  of the previous embodiment are combined into a single harness  14  having a single first connector  16  engaged with the power system for the vehicle, and one or two light connectors  18   a,    18   b  at the opposite end of the harness  14 . In  FIG. 10 , where two light connectors  18   a  and  18   b  are utilized, two vehicle light harnesses  20   a  and  20   b,  with associated second connectors  22   a  and  22   b,  and two auxiliary light harnesses  24   a  and  24   b,  with associated third connectors  26   a  and  26   b,  are utilized to connect the vehicle lights  11   a  and  11   b  or the auxiliary lights  25   a  and  25   b  to the power system. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 11 , a single light connector  18  can be present in the adapter harness  14 , such that only a single vehicle light harness  20  and second connector  22 , and a single auxiliary light harness  24  and connector  26  are employed in the system  8 . In these embodiments of the system  8 , instead of omitting the power harnesses  10   a  and  10   b,  the adapter harness  14   a  and  14   b  can be omitted, such that the power harness  10 , or harnesses  10   a  and  10   b,  in whatever configuration are connected directly between the vehicle power system and one of the vehicle light harness  20  or harnesses  20   a  and  20   b,  or the auxiliary light harness  24  or harnesses  24   a  and  24   b.    
         [0040]    Still another embodiment for the harness  8  similar to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 12  shows the harness  8  including an adapter harness  14  that is used with all types of vehicles, and a pair of specific light connectors  100  and  102  connected to opposite ends of the harness  14 . The connectors or harnesses  100  and  102  are each configured to be utilized with a specific vehicle, with connector  100  connected between the adapter harness  14  and the vehicle light  11  or the auxiliary light  25 , and the connector  102  connected between the adapter harness  14  and the vehicle power harness  10 . By employing the connectors  100  and  102  with the adapter harness  14 , kits forming the harness  8  for use with different types of vehicles  9  can be created with the adapter harnesses  14  and the required connectors  100  and  102  for the specific vehicle. In addition, the harness  8  shown in  FIG. 12  can be modified to have any of a number of configurations, such as those shown in prior  FIGS. 1-11 . 
         [0041]    The system  8  of the present invention has a number of advantages over existing systems that supply power to auxiliary lights in vehicles. Such advantages include, but are not limited to, the following:
       1. The system  8  does not require any switches, relays or electronics to switch the primary vehicle lights to the auxiliary lights. All that is required is to connect the power harness(es) and/or adapter harness(es) to the vehicle power supply, and to then engage the appropriate one of the connectors of either the light harness(es) for the primary vehicle lights or the auxiliary lights with the adapter harness in order to provide power to the appropriate set of lights.   2. The system  8  does not require the installation of a main harness, which also can cause problems in troubleshooting or can cause shorts in the system. This substantially reduces cost by eliminating the amount of wire required to build the main harness, and also eliminates the connectors, pins and seals associated with a main harness.   3. The system  8  in a preferred embodiment requires only six wires at minimum in order to control the high beam, low beam, turn signal, marker lights and common for the vehicle lights and the auxiliary lights. If running lights are used, only two additional wires are required for each adapter harness. On the other hand, if the daytime running lights operate off either the high, low, turn signal or marker lamps, then only six wires are required for each side.   4. The system  8  guards against corrosion by using sealed connectors.   5. The system  8  is easy to troubleshoot simply by making selective connections to identify the source of a problem.   6. The system  8  is easy to install, in that all connections are simple male/female connections.   7. The system  8  is very cost effective in manufacture, assembly and installation.   8. The system  8  utilizes a small number of parts to be stocked both at the manufacturing level and at the dealer level.       
 
         [0050]    Additionally, it is to be understood that, where a certain connector has been illustrated or described as a male connector that is engageable with a female connector, a reverse arrangement could also be employed such that a female connector is engageable with a male connector. 
         [0051]    Various alternatives are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims, particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.