Control and interface system for emergency vehicles
First Claim
1. For use in a motor vehicle having an interior, an ignition switch, a plurality of supplemental lights for use by police or emergency personnel and a source of vehicle electrical power source, a control and interface system comprising:
- a first connector set;
a switch array having a plurality of user-operable switches supported on a common panel within said interior;
a plurality of relays supported upon a common relay module each relay being coupled to said supplemental lights through said first connector set and each relay being operable to couple selected groups of said supplemental lights to said source of vehicle electrical power;
a second connector set coupling said switch array to said relay module; and
power management means for detecting the decrease of output voltage of said source of vehicle electrical power and sequentially terminating the coupling of selected ones of said relays at sequentially lower output voltages,said first and second connector sets providing for easy conversion of said motor vehicle to an emergency vehicle by facilitating plug-in installation of said switch array and said relay module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interface system for use in a motor vehicle to be converted to a police or emergency vehicle includes a switch panel array operating an array of relays which in turn controls a lamp unit such as a conventional light bar. A video camera and VCR are mutually coupled to a VCR control which in turn responds to a control logic to provide automatic operation of the VCR during events. A canine alert system includes temperature sensing and engine electrical system sensing and responds to an air conditioning failure or engine stall condition to produce a transmitted alert signal using a pager or beeper or the like. A power management system monitors the operating supply voltage of the vehicle and sequentially shuts down the emergency light apparatus as the battery voltage decreases. A back-up light and brake light kill responds to a panel control switch for interrupting the activity of brake lights and back-up lights.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. For use in a motor vehicle having an interior, an ignition switch, a plurality of supplemental lights for use by police or emergency personnel and a source of vehicle electrical power source, a control and interface system comprising:
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a first connector set; a switch array having a plurality of user-operable switches supported on a common panel within said interior; a plurality of relays supported upon a common relay module each relay being coupled to said supplemental lights through said first connector set and each relay being operable to couple selected groups of said supplemental lights to said source of vehicle electrical power; a second connector set coupling said switch array to said relay module; and power management means for detecting the decrease of output voltage of said source of vehicle electrical power and sequentially terminating the coupling of selected ones of said relays at sequentially lower output voltages, said first and second connector sets providing for easy conversion of said motor vehicle to an emergency vehicle by facilitating plug-in installation of said switch array and said relay module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. For use in converting a motor vehicle having an interior, an ignition switch, an engine, an electrical power source, a park/neutral switch, and an air conditioning system to an emergency vehicle having a plurality of supplemental lights, a control and interface system comprising:
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first and second connector sets; a switch array having a plurality of user operated switches and a supporting switch panel within said interior; a plurality of power couplers coupled to said switch array through said first connector set and each coupled to said electrical power source and each operatively coupling said electrical power source to said supplemental lights in response to said plurality of user operated switches through said second connector set; and power management means having means for sensing the output level of said electrical power source and sequentially interrupting the power coupling of said power couplers as the output level of said electrical power source decreases below a predetermined sequence of voltages, said first and second connector sets cooperating to facilitate conversion of said motor vehicle to an emergency vehicle by providing plug-in installation of said switch array and said plurality of power couplers within said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification