Patent ID: 7162332

Claim:
A method of controlling a turret mounted on a fire fighting vehicle, comprising: storing information in a turret motion controller, the information pertaining to a desired movement of the turret; and controlling movement of the turret using the turret motion controller, the movement of the turret being controlled in accordance with the information; wherein the turret comprises an adjustable mount assembly and a turret nozzle, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to a chassis and vehicle body combination, the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly; wherein the fire fighting vehicle comprises a power distribution and control system, the power distribution and control system further including a power source, a power transmission link, a plurality of output devices, a plurality of input devices, a communication network, and a plurality of interface modules; wherein the plurality of output devices including a plurality of actuators capable of adjusting the mount assembly to adjust the position and orientation of the turret nozzle; wherein the plurality of input devices including a plurality of position sensors capable of providing position information pertaining to the position and orientation of the turret nozzle, and the plurality of input devices further including an input device associated with an operator interface; wherein the plurality of interface modules are coupled to the power source by way of the power transmission link, the plurality of interface modules being interconnected to each other by way of the communication network, and the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the plurality of input devices and to the plurality of output devices by way of respective communication links, and the plurality of interface modules including one or more interface modules that are coupled to the plurality of position sensors, the plurality of actuators, and the input device associated with an operator interface; and wherein the turret controller comprises at least one of the plurality of interface modules.