GB2196160A - Vehicle light control system - - Google Patents

Abstract

A sales aid for attracting the attention of passers-by to vehicles displayed for sale on a forecourt comprises an electrical system operable to flash the side lights, head lights and/or direction indicators of the displayed vehicles. The system includes a master control unit located in sales office, and a plurality of remote slave units mounted one in each displayed vehicle. The slave units are connected into the vehicle lighting circuits and are selectively operable to flash the lights of the associated vehicle, using the internal battery of the vehicle as a power source, under the control of the master unit. The master unit may control the slave units via a cable, low power radio, infra-red or ultrasonic link. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle light control system This invention relates to a light control system primarily, but not necessarily, intended for use in attracting attention, e.g. of passers-by of garage forecourts where motor vehicles may be displayed for sale.

There are many types of electronic displays whereby the control units and display means consist of LEDs, fibre optics and other types of light emitting devices. The disadvantages of such types of display are generally cost, if a number of units are required for a plurality of vehicles and the units have to be sited in or on the vehicle or vehicles. If the display units are placed on the front of vehicles, then they are open to vandalism and rain. To make them vandal-proof and water-proof increases their cost by a considerable amount.

The system according to the present invention is adapted to operate one or more of the vehicle lights by remote control. For example, a cable connection and/or an infra-red link, and/or an ultrasonic link, and/or a low power radio frequency link, may be utilised to control the side-lights, indicator lights, and/or head lights of a plurality of vehicles, such as automobiles.

In a system embodying this invention, all the electrical/electronic control or slave equipment, i.e. the receiver and associated switching unit, is housed in the vehicle, and may be powered by the vehicle's battery, whilst the master or main control unit is located at a remote location inside a building. Thus, both the slave equipment and master unit are protected both from weather and vandalism.

The slave equipment associated with each vehicle may be connected into the vehicle light circuit via the fuse unit associated with that circuit. For this purpose, the slave equipment will incorporate an electrical connector adapted to releasably cooperate with the fuse holder when the fuse is removed. The slave equipment may be connected in series with the associated light circuit, so that the receiver of the slave equipment will be energised by the vehicle battery, and will be conditioned to control the associated switching unit which flashes the vehicle lights, when the associated light circuit is switched on.Alternatively whilst the switching unit of the slave equipment could be plugged into the light circuit fuse holder to control the lights, the receiver could be energised via another source, such as the vehicle cigarette lighter socket, the receiver's own internal power source, or the master control unit in the case of a cable system. Thus, the vehicle light circuit switch could be bypassed if required.

The slave equipment preferably incorporates a current limiter, for example an electronic limiter, which serves to limit the large current surge which occurs when switching on a cold light bulb, thus prolonging the life of the bulb which might otherwise be significantly shortened due to repeated switching on and off.

Battery drain may also be reduced, as may be the risk of fire and/or battery damage in the event of an accidental short circuit. Furthermore, the incorporation of a current limiter enables the control equipment to be designed to a lower current rating, which could reduce the cost of the equipment. The limiter could, for example, limit at 6 amps or less in relation to a 50 watt, 12 volt headlight.

The system may include an electronic master control unit and a plurality of electronic slave units, the master unit including coding means such that the master unit is capable of generating a number of differently coded output signals, and the slave units each including decoding means such that the different slave units will respond to different ones of said coded signals, whereby the slave units, when operably located within associated vehicles and connected to the electrical circuits of the vehicle lights to be controlled, are selectively actuated in dependence upon the coded output signals from the master control unit to energise and deenergise the lights of the associated vehicles.The master control unit may include program means such that the master unit is operable to generate coded output signals, and to actuate the slave units, according to a predetermined sequence, and/or to control the frequency and/or duration of the output signals.

In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a control system comprising a main control unit having logic circuitry which controls a sequenced output which will interface to the remote location of a plurality of vehicles where a slave unit is located, comprising a lower supply adequate to supply necessary voltage and current to illuminate the vehicles head-lamps and or indicators. The said control unit comprises an oscillator, which may be of variable frequency, the oscillator output being fed to a decade counter.

The outputs from the decade counter are then fed to a series of analogue switches which are then used to control an encoder which has up to 32 predetermined codes.

The said encoder produces 32 pulse position modulated codes which are then fed to the output option stage, comprising a four way selector switch used to select one of the said four options described as follows.

Option 1.-Comprising a buffer stage which increases the current drive into a number of infra-red light emitting diodes which are then sited somewhere by a window which is in view of the vehicles containing responsive circuits to said infra-red light emitting diodes.

The said light emitting diodes are placed in a horizontal line facing a given direction, all the same except for a viewing angle of 5 degrees apart thus spreading the transmission field over a wider angle from that of the tangent of the plane of the vehicles and the horizontal line of the light emitting diodes-see Fig. 1.

A plurality of receivers responsive to the said transmission, include decoding means in which said data may be decoded and then buffered to control a relay or relays controlling vehicles head lamps and or indicators as described earlier in this description.

Option 2.-Ultra-sonic data transmitter and receiver responsive to the said data transmission as described in Option 1., but with the addition of a 40 KHz modulator used to modulate the said 40 KHz carrier for means of detection by means of a transducer responsive to said frequency encoding by means of pulse position modulation as described earlier in this description.

Option 3.-Comprising a low power radio frequency transmitter, comprising a resonant tuned circuit which is tuned to a predetermined frequency and a circuit responsive to this frequency placed in plurality of vehicles and connected to a decoder means as described in Option 1., with the addition of an aerial consisting of a short length of wire which may be less than one tenth of the wave length of said transmitter frequency, having an omni-directional radiation field thus receiving signals from said transmitter having a similar aerial allowing said transmitter and receiver to be placed at a short distance, up to 500- metres or so, apart, and not also in visual contact. The advantage of this system is clear in that there are no special requirements in placement of said transmitters and receivers as-described in Options 1 and 2.

Option 4.-Comprising a cable or number of cables connected to the encoder circuit of main control unit and the cable also connected to a decoder at a remote location within a vehicle or plurality of vehicles thus producing a data link between the said control unit and slave units which are then connected to relays controlling vehicles head lights and/or indicators as described in Option 1 being same as all other Options.

A car light control unit will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a system as described in Option 1, whereby a number of vehicles are placed on a forecourt and may be controlled remotely by infra-red light emitting diodes. A plurality of light emitting diode transmitters may be located in a number of locations thus covering as wide a range as may be found necessary if cars are located over a wide area also shown to the right of the dotted line in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a block schematic diagram of the main control units, excluding the directly cabled version which may be seen in Fig. 2a.

The power supply (PSU) supplies the power for the rest of the circuit, and consists of a battery or mains transformer converting the mains voltage to 12 volts d.c. from 240 volts a.c. and thereafter regulating said voltage for stability. An oscillator is controlled by a speed control which varies the oscillator output frequency between 1Hz and 10Hz. This is then counted by means of a decade counter, the outputs of which are connected to analogue switches which provide a connection of an encoder to output a buffer which increases the current gain to the transmitter. The basic control unit may control up to 10 receiver units. However additional control slave units may be added by connection to decade counter to carry outputs providing one output for every 10 input pulses from oscillator. This may then be used to control a further 10 receiver units and so on and so forth.

Fig. 3. The said data transmission sequence is received by all vehicles, but decoders are provided, each set to recognise a respective single code of the predetermined 10 codes of the 32 codes available, the remainder of which are designated to control slave units.

The said decoders ignore any other code type other than that internally set, but each unit may be set by the user enabling various combinations of sequences to be obtained, i.e. a number of vehicles consecutively flashing head lamps in a line from one end to the other as shown in Fig. 4a. or from both ends stepping into the centre of line as shown in Fig. 4b, or starting at point a. in Fig. 4c. proceeding consecutively to point b. and returning from point b. back to point a. and reciprocating so until otherwise changed by the user.

The invention provides a multiplexed remote switching system capable of controlling vehicle lights from a remote location without the need of cables connecting the control unit, comprising a controlling oscillator and signal addressing counter/microprocessor unit programmed by means of a keypad entry system controlling a plurality of analogue switches; said switches enable a PPM (pulse position modulator) encoder to encode data suitable for transmitting after being buffered by output buffer means of a transmitter.

The transmitter may also be encoded by an option modulator enabling an audio tone to be transmitted together with PPM data to determine system numbers for identification purposes.

A signal received from the transmitter is passed to a PPM responsive decoder or plurality of decoders each responsive to different system codes as encoded by encoder.

The encoded signal is buffered by an amplifier and a logic output is produced, comprising a d.c. voltage of low current, enough to supply a relay capable to switching vehicles lights in the order of 500MA (500 milli amps) and a lamp current of up to 20 amps.

In summary, a car light control unit is pro vided for use in controlling the lights of vehicles that may be randomly placed on a forecourt of a garage or other property. The unit may be used to control both head lamps and/or indicators on any number of vehicles by remote means in predetermined sequenced patterns at variable speeds controlled by the user. The unit has a choice of options as described herein, but essentially by means of infra-red remote control, ultra-sonic remote control, low power radio frequency or direct connection by cables to individual vehicles utilising the vehicles' own battery power, or other means of power from a remote source but connected by individual power cables. The system is primarily designed to control vehicle lights by flashing them to attract the attention of persons passing by the said vehicles which may be displayed for reasons of sale or otherwise.

Claims (9)

1. A vehicle light control system, comprising slave equipment which is intended to be located within the vehicle, and a master control unit which is intended to be disposed at a location remote from and externally of the vehicle, the slave equipment including means connectible to one or more of the vehicle lights, and when so connected, being remotely actuable by the master unit, to control the operation of said one or more of the vehicle lights.

2. A light control system as claimed in claim 1, including an electronic master control unit and a plurality of electronic slave units, the master unit including coding means such that the master unit is capable of generating a number of differently coded output signals, and the slave units each including decoding means such that the different slave units will respond to different ones of said coded signals, whereby the slave units, when operably located within associated vehicles and connected to the electrical circuits of the vehicle lights to be controlled, are selectively actuated in dependence upon the coded output signals from the master control unit to energise and deenergise the lights of the associated vehicles.

3. A light control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the master control unit includes program means such that the master unit is operable to generate coded output signals, and to actuate the slave units, according to a predetermined sequence, and/or to control the frequency and/or duration of the output signals.

4. A light control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each slave equipment includes a switching unit provided with an electrical connector releasably cooperable with a fuse holder of a vehicle light circuit to interconnect the slave equipment with the circuit and control the associated vehicle light or lights.

5. A light control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each slave equipment includes limiter means operative to limit the current flow or surge through the vehicle light or lights when energised via the slave equipment.

6. A light control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each slave equipment, in addition to the vehicle light or lights controlled thereby, is energised via the battery or other internal power supply of the vehicle.

7. A light control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the master control unit and the or each slave unit include means whereby the master control unit remotely controls the or each slave equipment via a cable link, and/or a radio link, and/or an infra-red link, and/or an ultrasonic link.

8. Vehicle light control systems substantially as hereinbefore described.

9. A vehicle sales aid, comprising a vehicle light control system as claimed in any preceding claim.