AU2014101157A4 - Illuminated vehicle socket - Google Patents

Abstract

AN ILLUMINATED VEHICLE SERVICES SOCKET An illuminated vehicle services socket is described. The socket includes: a socket body including a connecting end and a cable end, the cable end adapted to be electrically connected to a vehicle electrical services system; a receiver at the connecting end adapted to receive an electrical plug from a towed vehicle; a plurality of electrical socket terminals disposed in the receiver for connecting with cooperating electrical plug terminals on the electrical plug; a light source associated with the socket body and/or receiver configured to illuminate one or more of the socket body and/or the plurality of electrical socket terminals to facilitate location of the socket body and alignment of the electrical plug with the receiver.

Description

1 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION SPECIFICATION ARK Corporation Pty Ltd Invention Title: An illuminated vehicle services socket The invention is described in the following statement: 2 ILLUMINATED VEHICLE SERVICES SOCKET Field of the invention [001] The present invention relates generally to electrical sockets for connecting electrical services on a towed vehicle to a power supply on a towing vehicle. The invention finds particularly effective application when the towing vehicle is a road-going car or automobile, or off-road vehicle, and the towed vehicle is a trailer, caravan or other similar kind of towed vehicle. Background of the invention [002] Known electrical sockets are mounted on towing vehicles generally adjacent a towball or towing hitch, and often disposed under a chassis for increased protection from rain and accidental removal by passing cars, bikes, people or tools. A socket is generally therefore at about a user's shin height at the rear of a towing vehicle, and in a place that is difficult to reach. Sometimes the socket is mounted on an end of a long electrical cable and stowed in a trunk or boot and is difficult to find, since it can roll around the trunk and lodge in an unexpected place, under one or more other items. [003] The socket mounting places and therefore the socket itself is often therefore surrounded by darkness, even when it is daytime. Users can be unwilling to search in those places with their bare hands, given the perceived likelihood of spiders and other vermin to take up residence in those dark places. [004] The present invention seeks to provide a new socket. Summary of the invention [005] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an illuminated vehicle services socket, including: a socket body including a connecting end and a cable end, the cable end adapted to be electrically connected to a vehicle electrical services system; a receiver at the connecting end adapted to receive an electrical plug from a towed vehicle; a plurality of electrical socket terminals disposed in the receiver for connecting with cooperating electrical plug terminals on the electrical plug; a light source associated with the socket body and/or the receiver and 3 configured to illuminate the socket body and/or one or more of the plurality of electrical socket terminals to facilitate location and alignment of the electrical plug with the receiver. [006] In one embodiment the light source is one or more lamps. In one embodiment one or more of the light source is disposed in the receiver. In one embodiment the light source is disposed inside the socket body. [007] In one embodiment the one or more lamps are LEDs. Alternative arrangements may be incandescent globes, halogen globes, compact fluorescent bulbs or other suitable arrangements of light sources. [008] In one arrangement the socket is a plug which has a generally male connector disposition and the plug disposed on the towing vehicle for coupling with a socket having a generally female connecting disposition and mounted on the towed vehicle. [009] In one embodiment a cover is provided to protect the electrical socket terminals in the receiver. In one embodiment the cover is translucent or transparent to allow light from the lamps to provide at least diffuse light to pass through the cover from inside the receiver. In one embodiment the cover is disposed at the receiver end. In one embodiment the cover is removable to facilitate access to the receiver. In one embodiment the cover is hinged to the receiver to inhibit the cover falling off after access is gained to the receiver. In one embodiment there is provided a diffuser in the cover to provide diffuse light from the connecting end of the socket. In one embodiment the cover is biased into a closed position so as to facilitate protection of the socket electrical terminals and to facilitate diffuse light from issuing. [010] In one embodiment a diffuser is provided and disposed at a side of, or around the periphery of the socket body, and may be integral with the socket body. In one embodiment the socket body includes a socket body housing which includes a diffusing portion or a transparent or translucent portion. The diffusing portion of the socket body may include one or more wall portions of the housing socket body. An end wall in which the terminal ends are mounted may be a diffusing wall portion, or a side wall strip, or an insert, or the whole of the housing may be a light diffusing wall portion. An arrangement such as that would protect the light source from damage from blows or rain or other corrosion. [011] The socket body is in one form a 7-pin flat socket but may be a 7-pin round socket or 5-pin round socket or any suitable arrangement of socket, up to about 15 pins. [012] The cover may be detachable and adapted to be mounted when not in use on a side of the socket body on a suitable mount. The cover may be retained in other suitable 4 ways such as by an integral tether, cable, or may be slidably mounted so as to be retracted along a sliding axis, whether curved or straight. [013] In one embodiment the lamps are visible from the outside of the socket body when the plug is connected to the receiver. This arrangement assists troubleshooting and confirms that power is connected at least to the socket and diagnostic effort can be focussed in areas more likely to be problematic. In one embodiment at least part of a beam from the light source is directed outward of the socket body so that the light from the light source can still be diffused by the diffuser but light can still escape outward when the plug is connected to the socket. [014] In one embodiment the cable end includes an aperture to facilitate connection of the socket to a multi-core cable having separately-insulated wires, each wire extending to a respective electrical socket terminal. In one embodiment the cable is connected at another end to a power supply, and/or switching and/or other circuit elements to control electrical flow to the electrical socket terminals and the lamps. In one embodiment the lamps are connected for power to a headlight/braking circuits so that when the headlights are switched on by a user, and/or a brake pedal is depressed, power flows to the lamps. [015] In one embodiment, the lamps are powered by a standalone power source. [016] In one embodiment the cover includes a brand, logo or other device so as to highlight the brand when the headlights are switched on. In one embodiment the socket is connected to hazard lights so that the lamps can flash to attract greater attention to their location in the dark. [017] Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention facilitate location of the socket and connection of a plug to the socket. Some arrangements also facilitate location of the socket when the plug is plugged into the socket. [018] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided an illuminated vehicle services connector, including: a connector body including a connecting end and a cable end, the cable end adapted to be electrically connected to a vehicle electrical services system; a coupler at the connecting end adapted to couple with an electrical connector from a towed vehicle; a plurality of electrical connector terminals disposed in the coupler for connecting with cooperating electrical connector terminals on the electrical plug; a light source associated with the connector body and/or the receiver and configured to illuminate the socket body and/or one or more of the plurality of electrical socket terminals to facilitate location and alignment of the electrical plug with the receiver.

5 [019] In one embodiment the connector can be a socket or a plug. Brief Description of the drawings [020] In order to enable a clearer understanding, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be further explained and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [021] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a vehicle electrical services socket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a diffuser cover shown in an open position; [022] Figure 2 is the isometric view of the socket shown in Figure 1, with the diffuser cover shown in a closed position; [023] Figure 3 is an end elevation view of the socket shown in Figure 1; [024] Figure 4 is a typical side elevation view of the socket shown in Figure 1; and [025] Figure 5 shows various views of a diffuser lens shown in Figures 1 to 4. Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment General introduction [026] Referring to the drawings there is shown an illuminated vehicle services socket generally indicated at 10. The vehicle services socket 10 includes a socket body 12 including a connecting end 14 and a cable end 16, the cable end 16 adapted to be electrically connected to a vehicle electrical services system (not shown). [027] The vehicle services socket 10 further includes a receiver 18 at the connecting end 14, the receiver 18 adapted to receive a cooperating electrical plug (not shown) from a towed vehicle (not shown). [028] The vehicle services socket 10 further includes a plurality of electrical socket terminals 20 disposed in the receiver 18 for connecting with cooperating electrical plug terminals (not shown) on the electrical plug. There is also shown a light source 22 associated with the socket body and in this embodiment associated with the receiver 18 configured to illuminate the end of the socket body and/or one or more of the plurality of electrical socket terminals. The advantage of embodiments of the invention is to facilitate location of at least the socket body and to facilitate alignment of the electrical plug with the receiver.

6 Further details [029] The light source 22 is one or more lamps 24 disposed in the receiver, although the light source could be disposed inside the socket body itself, behind the terminals 20 to illuminate the socket body generally. [030] The lamps 24 are LEDs 26. As discussed above, alternative arrangements may be incandescent globes, halogen globes, compact fluorescent bulbs or other suitable arrangements of light sources. [031] Although not shown, it is contemplated that the socket body could be a plug which has a generally male connector disposition and the plug disposed on the towing vehicle for coupling with a socket having a generally female connecting disposition and mounted on the towed vehicle. [032] A cover 30 is provided to protect the electrical socket terminals 20 in the receiver 18. The cover 30 is a diffuser 31 and is translucent or transparent to allow light from the lamps 24 to provide at least diffuse light to pass through the cover 30 from inside the receiver. [033] The cover 30 is shown disposed at the connecting end 14 and hinged to the receiver by hinge 32 to inhibit the cover falling off after the cover is disposed in an open position and a user gains access to the receiver 18. The cover 30 is biased into a closed position by a spring 34 so as to facilitate protection of the socket electrical terminals when there is no plug connected and to facilitate diffuse light at various angles issuing through the cover to facilitate finding the socket body 12. [034] As discussed and although not shown it is contemplated that a diffuser may be provided and disposed at a side of, or around the periphery of the socket body, and may be integral with the socket body. The socket body may also include a socket body housing which includes a diffusing portion or a transparent or translucent portion. The diffusing portion of the socket body may include one or more wall portions of the housing socket body. An end wall in which the terminal ends are mounted may be a diffusing wall portion, or a side wall strip, or an insert, or the whole of the housing may be a light diffusing wall portion. An arrangement such as that would further protect the light source from damage from blows or rain or other corrosion. [035] The socket body 12 shown is in one form a 7-pin flat socket. It is to be understood that the socket body may equally be a 7-pin round socket or 5-pin round socket or any suitable arrangement of socket, up to about 15 pins.

7 [036] It can be seen that the lamps can be made visible from the outside of the socket body when the plug is connected to the receiver. This arrangement assists troubleshooting and confirms that power is connected at least to the socket and diagnostic effort can be focussed in areas more likely to be problematic. At least part of a beam from the light source is in this embodiment directed outward of the socket body so that the light from the light source can still be diffused by the diffuser but light can still escape outward when the plug is connected to the socket. [037] The cable end includes an aperture 36 to facilitate connection of the socket body to a multi-core cable (not shown) having separately-insulated wires, each wire extending to a respective electrical socket terminal 20. The cable is connected at another end (not shown) to a power supply, and/or switching and/or other circuit elements to control electrical flow to the electrical socket terminals and the lamps. In one embodiment the lamps are connected for power to a headlight/braking circuits so that when the headlights are switched on by a user, and/or a brake pedal is depressed, power flows to the lamps. [038] The lamps may be powered by a standalone power source disposed in the socket body and may be replaceable by opening the socket body housing, which may be hinged at one side to access the battery, light source and other wire components. [039] The cover 30 and/or housing walls include an integral brand, logo 50 or other device so as to highlight the brand when the headlights are switched on. The socket body cable may be connected to hazard lights so that the lamps can flash to attract greater attention to their location in the dark. [040] In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: (a) part of common general knowledge; or (b) known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned. [041] The word 'comprising' and forms of the word 'comprising' as used in this description do not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions. [042] Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims (5)

1. An illuminated vehicle services socket, including: a socket body including a connecting end and a cable end, the cable end adapted to be electrically connected to a vehicle electrical services system; a receiver at the connecting end adapted to receive an electrical plug from a towed vehicle; a plurality of electrical socket terminals disposed in the receiver for connecting with cooperating electrical plug terminals on an electrical plug; a light source associated with the socket body configured to illuminate the socket body, the receiver, and/or one or more of the plurality of electrical socket terminals to facilitate location of the socket body and/or alignment of an electrical plug with the receiver.

2. The illuminated vehicle services socket in accordance with claim 1 wherein the light source is disposed in the receiver.

3. The illuminated vehicle services socket in accordance with claim 1 or 2 wherein a light diffuser cover is provided to protect the electrical socket terminals in the receiver and diffuse light from the light source.

4. The illuminated vehicle services socket in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the light diffuser cover includes a logo or trade mark device which is silhouetted by or diffuses light from the light source.

5. The illuminated vehicle services socket in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein power for the light source is from stand alone, vehicle light circuit or vehicle brake light circuit so that when the headlights are switched on by a user, and/or a brake pedal is depressed, power flows to the lamps.