Patent Description:
Towed vehicles, such as caravans and camper trailers, are a popular form of portable accommodation used by many as an economic and enjoyable way in which to experience the outdoors in an independent and comfortable manner. They are typically hitched behind a passenger vehicle and towed to a destination where they may be unhitched from the towing vehicle and set up as an accommodation site in accordance with the user's personal preferences.

During a towing situation, there is a legal requirement that the towed vehicle is in electrical communication with the towing vehicle such that the towing vehicle can operate indicating lamps and braking systems of the towed vehicle for safety reasons. To achieve this, most towed vehicles have a dedicated electrical socket that extends between the vehicles, and connects with an electric plug provided in the towing vehicle. To ensure the integrity of connection between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle, a variety of mechanical connections have been proposed. Most such connection systems have a variety of pins ranging from between <NUM> pins to <NUM> pins, dedicated to supplying control signals from the towing vehicle to the towed vehicle to operate indicator lamps and brakes as desired.

A problem with such conventional electrical connection systems is that the plug and socket arrangement is located external to the vehicles and is exposed to the environment, such as rain and wear, which can have a significant adverse effect on the integrity of electrical contact surfaces. This can result in the wires or contacts of the electrical connection becoming work hardened, crushed, corroded or hyper-extended during regular use, which can weaken their electrical and mechanical attributes. Therefore, over time, there is an increased probability that the connection will fail and require replacement due to faulty or intermittent electrical connections, which can cause accidents due to brake failures or inability to operate the turning indicators. The driver of the towing vehicle may have no indication that the connection has failed or is not working properly and may be oblivious to the potential dangers at hand. The probability of such failures occurring becomes even higher where multiple pins or connections are present.

As well as the basic safety concerns associated with a faulty connection between a towed vehicle and the towing vehicle, with caravans and other such towed vehicles becoming fitted with more and more features such as lighting options, cooking appliances, heating systems and independent braking systems, conventional dedicated wiring systems are difficult to employ, especially with reduced design space. As a result, the electrical wiring of such spaces is extremely complicated and if faults occur, difficult to address in an efficient manner.

Further to this, with access to the internet and other networks becoming increasingly more available and reliable, there is a need to remotely control and monitor devices. This can aid in determining the onset of faults in such devices and to take appropriate remote action, as well as simply controlling the operation of devices to minimise power wastage and the like. Thus, the ability for devices to connect with the internet and other networks to share their status is highly desirable.

<CIT> discloses a tow bar structure comprising: a projecting hook; an electrical contact holder device associated to the hook; a slave control unit associated to the hook suitable to exchange electrical signals with a master control unit located inside the vehicle, managing the electrical commands to be transferred to the trailer and suitable to activate a plurality of electronic switches associated to the electrical contact holder in the tow bar structure; and an electrical connection allowing the exchange of signals between said master and slave control units and the supply of electrical power to be delivered through said contact holder device.

<CIT> discloses generating control signals in a motor vehicle, transmitting the control signals to a trailer, receiving the control signals in the trailer and switching a voltage source in the trailer with the received control signals to provide the operating voltage for illumination devices. The control signals can be transmitted by data transmission cable or wireless data transmission channel.

There remains a need to provide for a data and electrical connection system that minimises the number of contacts that can wear or degrade and which simplifies the overall wiring system of the vehicle. Further, there is a need to provide such a control system that enables electric devices connected to the system to be controlled and/or monitored remotely.

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system for delivering power and control signals to control the activation of electrical components in a vehicle according to claim <NUM>.

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:.

The present invention will be described below in relation to a caravan of the type that is to be towed by a vehicle. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention could be equally employed in any variety of towed vehicles, such as camper trailers, boats and the like that are to be towed by a vehicle and still fall within the scope of the present invention. It will also be appreciated that the present invention may also have application to vehicles, both land and water based, which generally have limited space therein to accommodate dedicated wiring systems for electronic appliances.

Referring to <FIG>, a towing arrangement <NUM> is depicted between a towing vehicle <NUM> and a caravan <NUM>. The towing vehicle <NUM> may be a conventional passenger vehicle having a tow ball <NUM> or the like for hitching the caravan <NUM> thereto in a conventional manner. The caravan <NUM> is also of a conventional type and comprises a chassis <NUM> that supports a body <NUM> over one or more pairs of wheels <NUM>. The body <NUM> forms an enclosure over the top of the chassis <NUM> and is configured to function as a mobile accommodation space, as is well known in the art. A hitch <NUM> is provided at a front end of the chassis <NUM>. The hitch <NUM> is configured to attach to the tow ball <NUM> or similar device on the towing vehicle <NUM> (not shown) and may be configured in a variety of different ways so as to provide secure attachment to the towing vehicle <NUM>. Other securing devices, such as chains and the like may also be used to ensure secure attachment between the caravan <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM>.

To facilitate electrical connection between the towing vehicle <NUM> and the caravan <NUM>, an electrical connector <NUM> extends therebetween. The electrical connector <NUM> extends along the chassis <NUM> and in a preferred embodiment, is in the form of a pair of wires <NUM>, preferably a pair of twisted wires <NUM>, as depicted in <FIG>. The connector <NUM> has a pair of plug members <NUM> to facilitate connection at either end to the vehicle <NUM> and caravan <NUM>. As the connector <NUM> comprises a single pair of wires <NUM>, only two electrical connections need to be made at either end of the connector, greatly simplifying the connection process.

<FIG> depicts a conventional electrical connection system <NUM> for delivering power and control signals from the vehicle <NUM> to the caravan <NUM>. As depicted, the system <NUM> comprises a plug member <NUM> that is configured to mate with a socket member <NUM> such that a total of around six to twelve electrical connections are made between opposing pins in the system. The resultant lead <NUM> comprises individual wires some of which are dedicated towards providing control signals to operate electrical components of the caravan <NUM>, such as indicator lights and brakes, and some dedicated to providing power to operate such components.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the connector <NUM> is able to comprise only two wires <NUM> rather than twelve wires as is the case with the prior art system <NUM>. The control signals are transmitted to the components wirelessly and the power wires only provide power to the related devices.

Referring back to <FIG>, two-wire connector system is achieved through the provision of a slave unit <NUM>, such as an encoder/decoder, located in the towing vehicle <NUM> that is in electrical communication with the towing vehicle's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or ECUs, such that all control signals to be sent to the caravan <NUM> are directed to the slave unit <NUM>. The slave unit <NUM> is connected to the DC power line connected to the positive and negative terminals of the vehicle battery which is then connected to the two-wire connector <NUM> for transmission of power and data to the caravan <NUM>.

In this regard, all control signals to be transmitted to the caravan <NUM> are received by the slave unit <NUM> which then processes the signals such that they can be sent over the power lines of the connector <NUM> to the caravan <NUM> together with the power signal. At the other end of the connector <NUM>, namely the end that connects to the caravan <NUM>, the power lines are in electrical communication with a master unit <NUM>. The master unit <NUM> receives the power signal together with any embedded control signals present therein and identifies the control signals to verify that they are legitimate. In this regard, the master unit <NUM> is loaded with security certificates to check and verify the data signals before they are able to pass further to their desired destination along the power line.

Referring again to <FIG>, the dual wire power lines continue from the master unit <NUM> to connect to each of the required components so as to deliver power to the components as well as control signals. For simplicity, only three main operating components of the caravan <NUM> are depicted: a central light <NUM>; rear indicator lights <NUM>; and electric braking controller <NUM>. Each of the components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> has a receiver module <NUM> associated therewith which is directly connected to the two-wire power line <NUM> as shown. The receiver module <NUM> may be a simple addressable device for receiving and decoding the control signal and may have <NUM> - <NUM> switchable outputs for delivering power and controlling the state of the component <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In this regard, for the rear indicator lights <NUM>, the associated receiver module <NUM> may receive the control signal requiring the module <NUM> to activate a left or right indicator light over the power line <NUM>. The module <NUM> will then process the signal by delivering a signal to operate the required indicator light through a dedicated switchable output, together with a power signal. Only the module <NUM> that is configured to receive signals addressed to the associated electrical component will respond and operate accordingly.

The two-wire power line can be arranged in a simple loop to connect to all the electrical components of the caravan to deliver both power and operating signals to the various electrical components. Such a wiring system will significantly reduce manufacture assembly time, have less overall weight due to the minimal use of wires, have less copper usage, be easy to isolate and interrogate faults, be easily scalable to add new components and provide for remote access and monitoring.

In accordance with the invention, the system of <FIG> is adapted to incorporate Bluetooth® and other wireless data exchange systems, through the provision of BLE devices along the two-wire power line that are capable of intercepting data and transmitting data wirelessly to other BLE devices within the system and outside the system, such as to a mobile phone and remote monitoring centre, and the like. This can then enable a wireless mesh system to operate within the two-wire system such that data is transmitted between the electric components wirelessly, with power delivered to the devices via the two-wire system. In such an arrangement, all information collected from the electrical components can be pushed to a remotely located data collector or collator to generate reports about the functioning of one or more electric components within the system. Such a system enables remote diagnostics of problems associated with the caravan components, such as braking system issues, lighting malfunctions and the like, and is also capable of remotely taking regular odometer readings to record the service status of the caravan and provide service updates.

Referring back to <FIG>, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, two-wire connector system merely provides power to the electrical components of the towed vehicle or caravan <NUM>. The slave unit <NUM>, such as an encoder/decoder with Bluetooth® capabilities or other wireless data exchange system capabilities, is located in the towing vehicle <NUM> and is in electrical communication with the towing vehicle's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or ECUs. All control signals to be sent to the caravan <NUM> from the towing vehicle's ECU are directed to the slave unit <NUM>. The slave unit <NUM> is typically connected to the DC power line connected to the positive and negative terminals of the vehicle battery which is then connected to the two-wire connector <NUM> for transmission of power to the caravan <NUM>. Data is separately transmitted by the wireless data exchange system to the caravan <NUM>.

In this regard, all control signals to be transmitted to the caravan <NUM> are received by the slave unit <NUM> which then processes the signals such that they can be sent wirelessly to a master unit <NUM> located in the caravan <NUM>. At the other end of the connector <NUM>, namely the end that connects to the caravan <NUM>, the power lines are in electrical communication with the master unit <NUM>. The master unit <NUM> receives the power signal from the wired connection and the embedded control signals from the wireless data exchange system and identifies the control signals to verify that they are legitimate. In this regard, the master unit <NUM> is loaded with security certificates to check and verify the wireless data signals before they are able to pass further to their desired destination via the wireless data exchange system.

Referring again to <FIG>, the dual wire power lines continue from the master unit <NUM> to connect to each of the required components so as to deliver power to the components. In <FIG>, for simplicity, only three main operating components of the caravan <NUM> are depicted: a central light <NUM>; rear indicator lights <NUM>; and electric braking controller <NUM>. Each of the components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> has a receiver module <NUM> associated therewith which has a transmitter/receiver for communicating with the wireless data exchange system. In this regard, for the rear indicator lights <NUM>, the associated receiver module <NUM> may wirelessly receive a control signal requiring the module <NUM> to activate a left or right indicator light. The module <NUM> will then process the signal by delivering a signal to operate the required indicator light through a dedicated switchable output. Each module <NUM> will have a receiver that is individually addressable to receive signals addressed to the associated electrical component, which will respond and operate accordingly. In this regard, upon performing the task, the module will also transmit a confirmation signal back to the master unit which can be recorded to verify that the electric component is operating accordingly.

Irrespective of the embodiment of the system employed, a command centre, in the form of a touch-screen monitor may be provided within the caravan to provide a simple point of information to determine the status of all components of the system. The command centre may comprise a microcontroller capable of controlling all of the devices within the system as well as the status of the caravan's battery to ensure that all components are operating within desired operating limits. Where the caravan includes a refrigerator, management routine may be provided within the system to ensure that power is prioritised to be delivered to the refrigerator at all times to ensure that the refrigerator operates correctly. Each of the communication devices provided within the control system of the present invention are capable of encoding all analogue signals and convert to PWM signals to control each particular device, therein digitising the signal for control or transmission to other decoders or external networks.

It will be appreciated that the system of the present invention provides a simple and effective means for configuring a caravan or similar vehicle such that the power line is used to provide either both power and control signals, or just power signals, to the components and no dedicated wiring is required for providing control signals. Such a system of wiring reduces the complexity and number of wires required to control the electrical components of such a vehicle and maximises space utilisation to accommodate the wiring. The control system is also fully scalable and capable of accommodating wireless transmitting units and other such systems to remotely monitor the operation of the components.

The ability of the system of the present invention to incorporate network encoders that provide network interconnectivity enables the control system to be established to simply connect every feature and allow the system to be managed and configured by way of a simple software application on a smart phone, tablet or other electrical device. Pairs of lights can be linked and grouped together by a single switch via the software application, which enables all of the electrical logical functions to be established, without the need for complicated internal wiring systems. As a result, a vehicle or space can be simply wired by low-skilled labour as the components only require connection to the power circuit, leaving the skilled labour to make the logical software connections via the software application on electrical devices. Such skilled labour, such as electricians and the like are also able to generate quality tests and reports via their personal electronic device and sign-off on installations and connections through this facility, greatly reducing their workload.

It will also be appreciated that by configuring the control system of the present invention to include an external network interface capability, data is able to be collected about the vehicle and uploaded to the network where the data can be processed to determine the diagnostic status of the system as well as to update system software and find and record faults. Such a system has the potential to provide improved maintenance service to the vehicle, such as a caravan. In this regard, upon the owner of the caravan bringing the caravan to a service centre for a regular service, the service centre is able to connect the vehicle to a computer having the necessary software to interrogate the electrical system to diagnose problems requiring attention and to run integrity tests on the system. The service centre is also able to update any software that may be out of date within the system and give an enhanced historical view of the health of the vehicle and the various components present therein. This can also be done remotely, via a mobile network or internet/cloud in communication with the system. In this regard, software can interface to manage the complete network to perform diagnostics and status updates of the system in real time, which can have particular advantages for caravan manufacturers, especially caravan manufacturer warranty teams, who can investigate and diagnose on-road issues as they occur. Thus by linking the systems to manufacturers of caravans, they are able to identify issues and take action to address issues as they occur, particularly if the vehicle is still under warranty.

The ability of the system to include network bridges and gateways to communicate with other physical networks or protocols for cross network communication allows for enhanced product control, such as the ability to use third party information to control the temperature of an air conditioner.

Further to this, the manner in which the system encoders/decoders are able to encrypt signals to ensure network products are embedded with security tokens and certificates to communicate with the network provides a simple means to ensure that unauthorised products such as lights/indicators, can be excluded from the system. Whilst such copycat and unauthorised products may be able to copy the physical attributes of authorised parts and products, they will not include the encrypted token to communicate with the network and will then be prevented from functioning. Such an improved security function is important to discourage theft of system information from competing system products.

This, depending on the specific embodiment of the present invention, the method of delivering power and control signals to control the activation of electrical components in a vehicle comprises the following steps.

In a first step, a power supply line is formed that connects each electrical component in the vehicle to a power source for providing power to operate the electrical component. The power source may be a battery and the power supply line may comprise a two-cable supply line from the battery that connects each electrical component in series.

In a second step, a computer controller is connected to the power supply line to utilise the power supply line to deliver control signals to each electrical component to control the operation of the electrical component. The computer controller may be connected directly or indirectly to the power supply line. In one form the computer controller may be connected to a slave unit that is connected to the power supply line.

In a third step, a master unit is located within the power supply line to receive and verify the control signals being transmitted to the electrical components prior to delivery to the electrical component. As the master unit is located in the power line it is also capable of receiving response signals generated by the electrical component in response to the control signals transmitted along the power supply line for further processing.

In a final step, the response signals received by the master unit may be processed to determine an operating status of each of the electrical components. It will be appreciated that this may be performed remotely through an appropriate network connection that enables the master unit to transmit data across a network, namely the internet or a telecommunication network where data can be logged and faults trigger an appropriate action.

Alternatively, according to an alternative embodiment, a method of delivering power and control signals to control the activation of electrical components in a vehicle comprises the following steps.

In a second step, the computer controller is able to wireless transmit control signals to each electrical component to control the operation of the electrical component. This may be achieved directly or by way of a slave or master unit dedicated to be in communication with the computer controller.

In a third step, a master unit is located within the power supply line for wirelessly receiving and verifying the control signals prior to wireless delivery of the control signals to electrical component and for wirelessly receiving response signals generated by each electrical component in response to the control signals transmitted along the power supply line.

Claim 1:
A communication system for delivering power and control signals to control the activation of electrical components (<NUM>-<NUM>) in a vehicle comprising:
a power source for generating a power signal to supply power to the electrical components;
a computer controller for generating control signals (<NUM>-<NUM>) to control operation of the electrical components;
a slave unit (<NUM>) operatively connected to both the power source and the computer controller to receive the control signals and to convert the control signals into data signals for transmission to the electrical components;
a power supply line (<NUM>) for carrying the power signal, from the slave unit to each electrical component; and
a master unit (<NUM>) located remote from said slave unit and configured to receive the data signals from the slave unit and to verify the data signals for further delivery to the required electrical component
wherein the power supply line extends from the master unit to connect with each of the electrical components to deliver only the power signal to the electrical component,
wherein the data signals are transmitted to each electrical component by way of a wireless transmission from the master unit, and
wherein the slave unit is located in a towing vehicle (<NUM>) and the master unit is located in the towed vehicle (<NUM>) and the power supply line extends between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle.