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;
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; and
a connector adapted to communicate with a controller that interfaces with an accessory, wherein the signal representative of the amount of power drawn through the adapter is communicated with the controller through the connector.
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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.
34 Citations
29 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; 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; and a connector adapted to communicate with a controller that interfaces with an accessory, wherein the signal representative of the amount of power drawn through the adapter is communicated with the controller through the connector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. 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 through which power is supplied, and wherein the first connector is coupled to the second connector to provide power 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 (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of providing power to a vehicle accessory, comprising the steps of:
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connecting an accessory to an existing circuit connected to a fused power source in the vehicle; electrically coupling an adapter for the accessory with the existing circuit; monitoring the amount of power drawn by the existing circuit and the accessory; and generating a signal representative of the amount of power drawn by the existing circuit and the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. 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 (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification