TRAILER LIGHT DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE

• US 20160121792A1
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JS Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: JS Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Christopherson, Michael D., Hernandez, F. Javier, Moore, James E.
• Application Number:
  US14/931,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20160121792A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/64 Couplings or joints therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/305 Indicating devices for towed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/00 Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/005 for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/20 for testing or measuring purposes

Abstract

A device and system are disclosed for trailer light diagnostics. The device includes, in one embodiment a housing, and a controller disposed within the housing and configured for wirelessly communicating a status of an electrical wire of a vehicle lighting system with a remote display, where the controller is electrically coupled with the wire. The system includes the device and the remote display configured for performing actions including establishing a wireless data connection with the trailer light diagnostic device, receiving, from the trailer light diagnostic device, data indicative of a electrical status of a wire in the trailer light system, and presenting, in response to the electrical status of the wire, a notification to a user.

Claims

1. A trailer light diagnostic device comprising:

a housing;

a controller disposed within the housing and configured for wirelessly communicating a status of an electrical wire of a vehicle lighting system with a remote display, where the controller is electrically coupled with the wire.

2. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 1, where the housing comprises an exterior profile configured for inserting into a wiring harness of the vehicle.

3. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 1, where the controller comprises a communication interface configured for transmitting the status of the electrical wire.

4. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 1, where the controller comprises a voltage detector configured to detect a voltage of the electrical wire.

5. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 1, where the controller comprises a current detector configured to detect a current of the electrical wire.

6. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 1, where the remote display is configured to generate a user interface that includes a depiction of a vehicle.

7. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 6, where the remote display is further configured to generate an indication of the status of the electrical wire.

8. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 7, where the indication of the status of the electrical wire is a visual notification displayed as a flashing light on the depiction of the vehicle.

9. The trailer light diagnostic device of claim 7, where the indication of the status of the electrical wire is an aural notification.

10. A remote display device including at least one computing device and at least one software module that are together configured for performing actions, where the at least one computing device includes a processor and a memory, the actions comprising:

establishing a wireless data connection with a trailer light diagnostic device;

receiving, from the trailer light diagnostic device, data indicative of a electrical status of a wire in a trailer light system; and

presenting, in response to the electrical status of the wire, a notification to a user.

11. The remote display of claim 10, where the actions further comprise generating a user interface that includes a depiction of a vehicle.

12. The remote display of claim 11, where the actions further comprise generating a visual notification of the notification and displaying the visual notification as a flashing light on the depiction of the vehicle.

13. The remote display of claim 11, where the actions further comprise generating an aural notification.

14. The remote display of claim 10, where the actions further comprise analyzing at least one rule indicative of a requirement to transmit a notification to a target device.

15. The remote display of claim 14, where the actions further comprise transmitting, in response to an indication to transmit a notification, a notification to the target device.

16. The remote display of claim 15, where the notification comprises an email.

17. A trailer light diagnostic system comprising:

a controller disposed within a housing and configured for wirelessly communicating a status of an electrical wire of a vehicle lighting system with a remote display, where the controller is electrically coupled with the wire; and

where the remote display includes at least one computing device and at least one software module that are together configured for performing actions, where the at least one computing device includes a processor and a memory, the actions comprising;

establishing a wireless data connection with a trailer light diagnostic device;

receiving, from the trailer light diagnostic device, data indicative of a electrical status of a wire in a trailer light system; and

presenting, in response to the electrical status of the wire, a notification to a user.

18. The trailer light diagnostic system of claim 17, where the controller comprises a voltage detector configured to detect a voltage of the electrical wire.

19. The trailer light diagnostic system of claim 17, where the controller comprises a current detector configured to detect a current of the electrical wire.

20. The trailer light diagnostic system of claim 17, where the actions further comprise generating a user interface that includes a depiction of a vehicle.