VEHICLE ACCESSORY CONTROL SYSTEM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An adapter for a vehicle accessory, comprising:
- a plug for electrically coupling the adapter with a fuse-receiving socket in a vehicle power distribution box;
a socket electrically coupled with the plug for receiving a power-limiting device; and
a circuit electrically coupled with the socket to monitor the amount of power drawn through the adapter, wherein the adapter generates a signal representative of the amount of power drawn through the adapter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for an accessory in a vehicle includes an adapter, a monitoring circuit, and a controller. The adapter couples with a fused power source. The monitoring circuit is coupled to the adapter and the controller is coupled to the adapter and the monitoring circuit. The control system provides a method of powering a vehicle accessory. The method monitors the amount of power drawn by a circuit connected to a power source and determines if the amount of power drawn is less than a threshold. Power is provided to the accessory based on the determination.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. An adapter for a vehicle accessory, comprising:
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a plug for electrically coupling the adapter with a fuse-receiving socket in a vehicle power distribution box; a socket electrically coupled with the plug for receiving a power-limiting device; and a circuit electrically coupled with the socket to monitor the amount of power drawn through the adapter, wherein the adapter generates a signal representative of the amount of power drawn through the adapter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An adapter for a vehicle accessory, comprising:
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a first connector for coupling the adapter with a vehicle power outlet; a second connector for coupling the adapter with an electrical connector adapted to connect to the vehicle power outlet; and a circuit electrically coupled with the first connector and the second connector to monitor the amount of power drawn through the adapter, wherein the adapter generates a signal representative of the amount of power drawn through the adapter. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of providing power to a vehicle accessory, comprising the steps of:
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electrically coupling an adapter for the vehicle accessory with a circuit connected to a fused power source in the vehicle; monitoring the amount of power drawn by the circuit; and generating a signal representative of the amount of power drawn by the circuit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A control system for a vehicle accessory, comprising:
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an adapter electrically coupled with a circuit connected to a vehicle power distribution box to provide power to the adapter; a monitoring circuit coupled with the adapter for generating a monitoring signal, said monitoring signal generated to represent the amount of power drawn through the adapter; and a controller coupled with the monitoring circuit to receive the monitoring signal, wherein the controller determines whether an amount of power required to operate the vehicle accessory is greater than the amount of power available to the vehicle accessory from the power distribution box and the controller restricts the amount of power drawn through the adapter based on the determination. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A control system for a vehicle accessory, comprising:
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a monitoring circuit coupled with a fused power source for generating a monitoring signal, said monitoring signal generated to represent the amount of power drawn through the fused power source; and a controller for controlling power supplied to the vehicle accessory and coupled with the monitoring circuit, wherein the controller determines whether the amount of power drawn through the fused power source is less than a first limit and less than a second limit, and the controller provides i) full power to the vehicle accessory when the amount of power drawn is less than the first limit, ii) less than full power to the vehicle accessory when the amount of power drawn is not less than the first limit and is less than the second limit, and iii) minimal power to the vehicle accessory when the amount of power drawn is not less than the second limit. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of powering a vehicle accessory in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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electrically coupling an adapter with a circuit connected to a fused power source in the vehicle; monitoring the amount of power drawn through the adapter; determining if the amount of power drawn is less than a first limit; determining, at least when the amount of power drawn is not less than the first limit, if the amount of power drawn is less than a second limit; and providing full power to the vehicle accessory and the circuit if the amount of power drawn is less than the first limit, providing less than full power to one of the vehicle accessory and the circuit if the amount of power drawn is not less than the first limit and is less than the second limit, and providing minimal power to one of the vehicle accessory and the circuit if the amount of power drawn is not less than the second limit. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification