Patent ID: 12227126

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown inFIGS.1to20of the drawings, one exemplary embodiment of the present invention is generally shown as a straight-truck box-light controller boxtail100for use on a straight truck30with a truck10and box20. The term boxtail100is a pigtail style of connector with an included electrical circuit for use on a box20. The present invention utilizes an electrical flashing control circuit400suitable for installation in the box wiring harness300or installation at individual lights to provide braking indication for a straight truck30. Changes to left/right turn/brake signal marker lights initial brake light intensity is taught with flashing between bright and dim and then returning to a continuous burn after the initial flashing, the invention also teaches the flashing of non brake lights such as identification, illumination, and clearance lights as flashing upon detection of a brake signal with a return back to their standard functions.

FIG.3shows a box wiring harness300with a ten pin box side connector302for connection to a ten pin truck connector304. All of the connectors refereed to herein are pass through electrical connectors. Examples of the male and female counterparts, locks, and strain relief of the five pin connectors312,313,314,315are:1—Aptiv 12186400 Metri-Pack 280 Series, 5-Way Male Connector, 30 Amp Max, Item #: 38068, Manufacturer Item: 12186400, Manufacturer: Aptiv (Formerly Dephi), Aptiv Technologies Limited COMPANY BARBADOS The Financial Services Centre Bishop's Court Hill St. Michael BARBADOS BB14004.2—Aptiv 12084891 Metri-Pack 280 Series, 5-Way Gray Female Connector, Item #: 38069, Manufacturer Item: 120848913—Aptiv 15324857 Metri-Pack 280 Series 5-Contact TPA Secondary Lock, Black, Item #: 38039, Manufacturer Item: 153248574—Aptiv 15324982 Metri-Pack 280 Series Green Cable Seal (Previously 12015323), Item #: 39000, Manufacturer Item: 15324982

For the box wiring harness300, multiple lights are provided: clearance lamps310including the rear upper side light54, rear lower side light60, rear top edge light56, rear lower bottom clearance light66; identification lamps320including rear top center identification lamps58and the rear lower license light64; and the illumination lamp330including the rear lower backup lamp62.

FIG.4shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear lower license light64.

FIG.5shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear lower backup lamp62.

FIG.6shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear top center identification lamps58.

FIG.7shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear lower bottom clearance light66.

FIG.8shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear top edge light56.

FIG.9shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear lower side light60.

FIG.10shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the rear upper side light54.

FIG.11shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the identification lamps320.

FIG.12shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing the clearance lamps310.

FIG.13shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing both the clearance lamps310and the identification lamps320.

FIG.13shows the installation of the signal controller400in the box wiring harness300using a five pin connector for flashing the Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68, the Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69, and also flashing both the clearance lamps310and the identification lamps320.

FIG.16shows the electrical circuit diagram with voltage limiting sections1610,1620, brake/turn signal control sections1630,1640, and other light signal control section1650.

Voltage limiting sections1610,1620are simply a voltage protection circuit between TP4and TP5, or TP3and TP5providing a variable ground signal VGND for protection of the circuitry by limiting voltage using a Zener Diode D1, D21.

Brake signal control sections1630,1640, use a HEF4060B integrated circuit available from NEXPERIA, Jonkerbosplein 52, 6534 AB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The HEF4060B is a 14-stage ripple-carry binary counter/divider and oscillator with three oscillator terminals (RS, REXT and CEXT), ten buffered outputs (Q3to Q9and Q11to Q13) and an overriding asynchronous master reset input (MR). Basically this changes the input brake signal at the MR terminal12to a pulsed output at Q9terminal15for a fixed number of flashes, three to five is usually sufficient, before turning to a solid non flashing burn of the light. Here Q9, terminal15provides a pulsed brake light output signal through a power MOSFET IRF9328, available from International Rectifier 233 Kansas St., El Segundo, California 90245, to TP5or TP10for the appropriate left or right brake light signal output.

Other function light signal control section1650uses the signal at Q9, terminal15to also provide a pulsed running output signal through an Optoisolator LTV-356T to a power MOSFET, S17149ADP available from Vishay Siliconix, 2585 Junection Ave, San Jose, CA 95134, to TP7for the other function light such as the clearance lights, identification lights, and illumination lights. In this manner, both the left and right stop/turn/tail/hazard lights and the other function lights can be flash controlled using the onset of the brake signal. Because the other function lights are controlled in their normal function by the input at TP2, and the number of flashes is controlled by the activation of the counter upon detection of a braking signal, they act as both their original function and also act as a flashing brake indicator at the initial detection of the brake signal. Thus they act in their normal mode, flash when a brake signal is initially detected for a number of counts, and then return to their non-brake light normal operating mode after the set number of flashes.

Reference numerals used throughout the detailed description and the drawings correspond to the following elements:truck chassis10truck box20straight truck30Truck Front Headlamp-Lower Beam32Truck Front Headlamp-Upper Beam34Truck Front Daytime Running Lamps/Parking Lamps36Truck Front Left/Right Turn Signals40Truck Front Hazard Warning Lamps41Truck Front Lower Side Marker Lamps42Truck Front Top Edge Clearance Lamps44Box Front Top Center Identification Lamps46Box Front Top Edge Clearance Lamps48Box Top Intermediate Side Lamps50Box Lower Intermediate Side Lamps52rear upper side light54rear top edge light56rear top center identification lamps58rear lower side light60rear lower backup lamp62rear lower license light64rear lower bottom clearance light66Box Rear Left Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamp68Box Rear Right Stop/Tail/Turn/Hazard Warning Lamps69straight-truck box-light controller boxtail100box wiring harness300ten pin box side connector302ten pin box output connector303ten pin truck connector304ten pin box input connector305clearance lamps310identification lamps320illumination lamp330electrical flashing control circuit400five pin box side connector312five pin box output connector313five pin truck connector314five pin box input connector315boxtail electrical circuit1600first voltage limiting section1610second voltage limiting section1620first brake/turn signal control section1630second brake/turn signal control section1640other light signal control section1650Input side first terminal point TP1Input side second terminal point TP2Input side third terminal point TP3Input side fourth terminal point TP4Input side Fifth terminal point TP5Output side sixth terminal point TP6Output side seventh terminal point TP7Output side eighth terminal point TP8Output side ninth terminal point TP9Output side tenth terminal point TP10variable ground signal VGNDfirst Zener Diode D1second Zener Diode D21ripple-carry binary counter/divider and oscillator HEF4060Boscillator terminal RSoscillator terminal REXToscillator terminal CEXTten buffered outputs Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q&, Q8, Q9, Q11, Q12, Q13asynchronous master reset input MRpower MOSFET IRF9328Optoisolator LTV-356Tpower MOSFET S17149ADP

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure. It will also be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

When interpreting the claims of this application, method claims may be recognized by the explicit use of the word ‘method’ in the preamble of the claims and the use of the ‘ing’ tense of the active word. Method claims should not be interpreted to have particular steps in a particular order unless the claim element specifically refers to a previous element, a previous action, or the result of a previous action. Apparatus claims may be recognized by the use of the word ‘apparatus’ in the preamble of the claim and should not be interpreted to have ‘means plus function language’ unless the word ‘means’ is specifically used in the claim element. The words ‘defining,’ ‘having,’ or ‘including’ should be interpreted as open ended claim language that allows additional elements or structures. Finally, where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element of the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.