The present technology relates to accessory control systems and kits for vehicles and to methods for configuring a vehicle.
Off-road vehicles such as side-by-side vehicles (SSVs) are often equipped with optional accessories that are controlled by a control unit. For example, such powered accessories may include different types of lights, speakers, and an adjustable windshield amongst others.
Conventionally, in many cases, in order to install one of these accessories, a person has to install the accessory on the vehicle, then connect the accessory to a power source and finally connect a suitable switch or control device to the accessory in order to operate the accessory. However, as the accessory, the power source and the switch or control device are often disposed at different locations on the vehicle, this can be a long and tedious process requiring the installer to route electrical wires around the vehicle and in many cases having to remove body panels and reinstall body panels from the vehicle in order to conceal the wiring. As a result, the original look of the vehicle may be difficult to maintain, particularly when an untrained person attempts such an installation.
These problems may also apply to vehicles other than off-road vehicles.
Thus, there is a desire for an accessory control system for a vehicle that addresses some of the aforementioned drawbacks.
It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least some of the inconveniences present in the prior art.
According to an aspect of the present technology, there is provided an accessory control system for a vehicle. The accessory control system comprises: a controller configured to be installed on the vehicle; and a wire harness connected to the controller to communicate output signals from the controller, the wire harness having an input connector and an output connector, the input connector being connected to the controller, the output connector being configured to be selectively connected to one of a first vehicle accessory and a second vehicle accessory, the output connector of the wire harness being configured to be disposed at a selected location on the vehicle, the controller being preprogrammed to transmit at least one first accessory signal through the wire harness to control the first vehicle accessory, the controller being configured to be reprogrammed to transmit at least one second accessory signal through the wire harness to control the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the accessory control system further comprises a user input device in communication with the controller, the user input device being operable by a user to control operation of at least one of the first vehicle accessory and the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the user input device is a keypad, the keypad being operable by the user to cause the controller to transmit a given one of the at least one first accessory signal or a given one of the at least one second accessory signal.
In some embodiments, the controller has a port configured to be connected to an external computer for reprogramming the controller.
In some embodiments, the user input device is a touch screen, the touch screen being operable by the user to cause the controller to transmit a given one of the at least one first accessory signal or a given one of the at least one second accessory signal.
In some embodiments, the controller is reprogrammable via the touch screen.
In some embodiments, the controller is in communication with at least one sensor to receive at least one sensor input therefrom; the at least one first accessory signal or the at least one second accessory signal is generated by the controller based on the at least one sensor input; and an other one of the at least one first accessory signal and the at least one second accessory signal is not generated by the controller based on sensor inputs.
In some embodiments, the first vehicle accessory and the second vehicle accessory are different ones of: a light; an adjustable windshield; a heater; a speaker; a windshield wiper system; and a dust management system.
In some embodiments, the controller has a memory storing a first control program and a second control program; the first control program is configured to cause the controller to produce the at least one first accessory signal; the second control program is configured to cause the controller to produce that least one second accessory signal; the controller is preprogrammed to execute the first control program to transmit the at least one first accessory signal through the wire harness to control the first vehicle accessory; the controller is configured to be reprogrammed to execute the second control program to transmit the at least one second accessory signal through the wire harness to control the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the wire harness is a first wire harness, the output connector of the first wire harness being configured to be disposed at a first selected location on the vehicle; the accessory control system further comprises a second wire harness connected to the controller to communicate output signals from the controller, the second wire harness having an input connector and an output connector, the input connector of the second wire harness being connected to the controller, the output connector of the second wire harness being configured to be selectively connected to at least one other vehicle accessory, the output connector of the second wire harness being configured to be disposed at a second selected location on the vehicle different from the first selected location.
In some embodiments, the at least one other accessory is one of a third vehicle accessory and a fourth vehicle accessory, the controller being preprogrammed to transmit at least one third accessory signal through the second wire harness to control the third vehicle accessory, the controller being configured to be reprogrammed to transmit at least one fourth accessory signal through the second wire harness to control the fourth vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the output connector of the wire harness is a pin connector.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to communicate with an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the present technology, there is provided an accessory control kit for a vehicle. The accessory control kit comprises: a controller configured to be installed on the vehicle, the controller having a controller output port; and a wire harness configured to be connected to the controller to communicate output signals from the controller, the wire harness having an input connector and an output connector, the input connector being configured to be connected to the controller output port, the output connector being configured to be selectively connected to one of a first vehicle accessory and a second vehicle accessory, the output connector of the wire harness being configured to be disposed at a selected location on the vehicle, the controller being preprogrammed to transmit at least one first accessory signal through the controller output port to control the first vehicle accessory, the controller being configured to be reprogrammed to transmit at least one second accessory signal through the controller output port to control the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the accessory control kit further comprises a user input device configured to be in communication with the controller, the user input device being operable by a user to control operation of at least one of the first vehicle accessory and the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the user input device is a keypad, the keypad being operable by the user to cause the controller to transmit a given one of the at least one first accessory signal or a given one of the at least one second accessory signal.
In some embodiments, the controller has a port configured to be connected to an external computer for reprogramming the controller.
In some embodiments, the user input device is a touch screen, the touch screen being operable by the user to cause the controller to transmit a given one of the at least one first accessory signal or a given one of the at least one second accessory signal.
In some embodiments, the controller is reprogrammable via the touch screen.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to be in communication with at least one sensor to receive at least one sensor input therefrom; the at least one first accessory signal or the at least one second accessory signal is generated by the controller based on the at least one sensor input; and an other one of the at least one first accessory signal and the at least one second accessory signal is not generated by the controller based on sensor inputs.
In some embodiments, the first vehicle accessory and the second vehicle accessory are different ones of: a light; an adjustable windshield; a heater; a speaker; a windshield wiper system; and a dust management system.
In some embodiments, the controller has a memory storing a first control program and a second control program; the first control program is configured to cause the controller to produce the at least one first accessory signal; the second control program is configured to cause the controller to produce that least one second accessory signal; the controller is preprogrammed to execute the first control program to transmit the at least one first accessory signal through the wire harness to control the first vehicle accessory; the controller is configured to be reprogrammed to execute the second control program to transmit the at least one second accessory signal through the controller output port to control the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the wire harness is a first wire harness, the output connector of the first wire harness being configured to be disposed at a first selected location on the vehicle; the controller output port is a first controller output port; the controller has a second controller output port; the accessory control kit further comprises a second wire harness configured to be connected to the controller to communicate output signals from the controller, the second wire harness having an input connector and an output connector, the input connector of the second wire harness being configured to be connected to the second controller output port, the output connector of the second wire harness being configured to be selectively connected to at least one other vehicle accessory, the output connector of the second wire harness being configured to be disposed at a second selected location on the vehicle different from the first selected location.
In some embodiments, the at least one other accessory is one of a third vehicle accessory and a fourth vehicle accessory, the controller being preprogrammed to transmit at least one third accessory signal through the second wire harness to control the third vehicle accessory, the controller being configured to be reprogrammed to transmit at least one fourth accessory signal through the second wire harness to control the fourth vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the output connector of wire harness is a pin connector.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to communicate with an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the present technology, there is provided a method for configuring a vehicle to be equipped with a second vehicle accessory in place of a first vehicle accessory, the vehicle having a controller connected to a wire harness, the wire harness having an input connector and an output connector, the input connector being connected to the controller, the output connector being configured to be selectively connected to one of the first vehicle accessory and the second vehicle accessory, the output connector of the wire harness being disposed at a selected location on the vehicle, the controller being preprogrammed to transmit at least one first accessory signal through the wire harness to control the first vehicle accessory. The method comprises: determining control features required to control the second vehicle accessory; identifying a control program operable to control the determined control features; and reprogramming the controller to execute the identified control program in order to transmit at least one second accessory signal through the wire harness to control the second vehicle accessory.
In some embodiments, the controller has a memory storing a first control program and a second control program; the first control program is configured to cause the controller to produce the at least one first accessory signal; the second control program is configured to cause the controller to produce the at least one second accessory signal; the controller is preprogrammed to execute the first control program to transmit the at least one first accessory signal through the wire harness; the identified control program is the second control program; and reprogramming the controller comprises reprogramming the controller to execute the second control program to cause the controller to transmit the at least one second accessory signal through the wire harness.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises connecting an external computer to the controller, the controller being reprogrammed via the external computer.
In some embodiments, the controller is in communication with a touch screen disposed in the vehicle, the controller being reprogrammed via the touch screen.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises connecting the second vehicle accessory to the output connector of the wire harness.
For purposes of the present application, terms related to spatial orientation when referring to a vehicle and components in relation to the vehicle, such as “forwardly”, “rearwardly”, “left”, “right”, “above” and “below”, are as they would be understood by a driver of the vehicle sitting thereon in an upright driving position, with the vehicle steered straight-ahead.
Embodiments of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned objects may not satisfy these objects and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.
Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
For a better understanding of the present technology, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
The present technology will be described with respect to a four-wheel, off-road vehicle 40 having two side-by-side seats and a steering wheel (i.e. a side-by-side vehicle (SSV)). However, it is contemplated that at least some aspects of the present technology may apply to other types of vehicles such as, but not limited to, off-road vehicles having a straddle seat and a handle bar (i.e. an all-terrain vehicle (ATV)), off-road vehicles having a single bucket-type seat, off-road vehicles with more than four wheels, and on-road vehicles having four or more wheels and having one or more seats, as well as other vehicles having ground-engaging members other than wheels (e.g., a tracked vehicle such as a snowmobile).
As will be described in greater detail below, the off-road vehicle 40 is provided with an accessory control system 100 (
The general features of the off-road vehicle 40 will now be described herein with respect to
The vehicle 40 includes left and right front wheels 44 connected to the frame 42 by a pair of front suspension assemblies 46. Left and right rear wheels 48 are connected to the frame 42 by a pair of rear suspension assemblies 50. Each one of the front and rear wheels 44, 48 has a rim 45 and a tire 47. The rims 45 and tires 47 of the front wheels 44 may differ in size from the rims and tires of the rear wheels 48. The vehicle 40 includes four brake assemblies (not shown), each one being operatively connected to a respective one of the wheels 44, 48. Each brake assembly includes a brake disc and a caliper disposed around its corresponding brake disc. Each caliper is connected to a corresponding brake line. Each caliper includes a pair of brake pads positioned on opposite sides of its respective brake disc. The brake assemblies are actuated by actuating the calipers by application of a fluid pressure in the brake lines, thereby causing the brake pads to apply pressure on their respective brake discs.
The vehicle 40 includes a steering wheel (not shown) operatively connected to the front wheels 44 for controlling a steering angle of the front wheels 44. The driver operates the steering wheel from the driver seat 54. The steering wheel is disposed in front of the driver seat 54. A steering position sensor (not shown) is operatively connected to the steering wheel, via a steering assembly, for determining a steering angle of the front wheels 44. The vehicle 40 also includes a dashboard (not shown) disposed forward of the seats 54, 56. A throttle operator in the form of a throttle pedal (not shown) is disposed over the floor of the cockpit area 52 below the steering wheel and in front of the driver seat 54. A pedal position sensor (not shown) is operatively connected to the throttle pedal to sense movement of the pedal caused by the driver in operation.
As shown schematically in
The motor 62 is connected to a transmission 64 (partially shown in
The transaxle is mechanically connected to a shifter (not shown) disposed laterally between the two seats 54, 56. The shifter allows the driver to select from a plurality of combinations of engagement of gears of the transaxle, commonly referred to as gears. In the present implementation, the shifter allows the driver to select between a reverse gear, two forward gears (high and low) and a neutral position in which the transaxle does not transmit torque to the wheels 44, 48. It is contemplated that other types of connections between the shifter and the transaxle could be used.
The transaxle transmits the torque applied thereon to drive the left and right rear wheels 48. While the vehicle 40 is described with the rear wheels 48 driving the vehicle 40 when in 2x4 drive mode, it is contemplated that the front wheels 44 could be driven when the vehicle 40 is in 2x4 drive mode in some implementations. Specifically, the transaxle is connected to left and right half-shafts and a differential connected therebetween for applying torque to the rear driven wheels 48. The differential is operatively connected between the transmission 64 and the left and right driven wheels 48. Furthermore, in a 4x4 drive mode, the front wheels 44 and the rear wheels 48 are driven.
A plurality of body panels 90 are provided on the vehicle 40 to conceal the internal components of the vehicle 40 and to enclose the cabin of the vehicle 40.
The vehicle 40 is provided with a plurality of accessories 200 which are selectively installed on the vehicle 40 via the accessory control system 100. In this embodiment, as shown in
It is possible that a user may want to add a new accessory to the vehicle 40 or replace any one of the accessories 200 with another accessory. For example, in some cases, the user may want to add an additional light or replace one or both speakers 208 or the windshield wiper system 206 with a light. As will be explained below, this addition and/or replacement of accessories is facilitated by the accessory control system 100 which will now be described with reference to
The accessory control system 100 includes a controller 110 installed on the vehicle 40 and a plurality of wire harnesses 120 connected to the controller 110 to communicate output signals from the controller 110 to the different accessories 200. In this embodiment, as shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
With reference to
With continued reference to
The manner in which the controller 110 is programmed to control the different accessories 200 will now be described in detail.
With reference to
According to one example, a given control program P1 of the plurality of control programs P1-Px is configured to control the light 202. For instance, the control program P1 may be configured to control the light intensity of the light 202 (e.g., high, medium, low, or simply on/off). The controller 110 is preprogrammed to execute the control program P1 in association with the output port 1121. As such, the controller 110 transmits, through the controller output port 1121 and the wire harness 120 connected thereto, accessory signals that are suitable for controlling the light 202. For example, the accessory signals transmitted through the controller output port 1121 can cause the light 202 to simply turn on or off, or to increase/decrease in brightness. It is to be understood that execution of the other control programs P1-Px may output different accessory signals as different control parameters may have to be controlled for the other accessories 200.
It is to be noted that any given one of the control programs P1-Px can be configured for controlling a specific accessory 200 (i.e., an exact model of accessory such as a particular model of the light 202), or can be configured for controlling any accessory of a given accessory category (i.e., generic to a given accessory category such as any model of light). In addition, in some cases, any given one of the control programs P1-Px can be configured to control accessories from different accessory categories (e.g., configured to control the light 202 and the dust control system 212), such as for example when only an on/off signal is required to control the accessories.
The accessory signals transmitted by the controller 110 may be caused by inputs from the user communicated to the controller 110 via the user input device 130. In other words, the controls programs P1-Px may be responsive to the inputs from the user input device 130 to cause the controller 110 to transmit the accessory signals. In addition, some of the accessory signals generated by the controller 110 may be based at least in part on the sensor inputs received by the controller 110 from the sensors 115. Other ones of the accessory signals may not be generated by the controller 110 based on the sensor inputs. For instance, in one example, the accessory signals transmitted to the light 202 by the controller 110 are on/off signals based on user inputs at the keypad 130A. In another example, the accessory signals transmitted to the light 202 are automatically generated based on the sensor input of one of the sensors 115 (e.g., from a photocell configured to sense the amount of ambient light). In some cases, the accessory signals transmitted to the speakers 208 by the controller 110 are to regulate a volume of the speakers 208 based on user inputs at the keypad 130A. Additionally, the accessory signals transmitted to the speakers 208 by the controller 110 could regulate the volume of the speakers 208 based on a vehicle speed sensed by one of the sensors 115 (e.g., a greater vehicle speed being associated with a greater volume in order to compensate for the additional noise caused by the faster moving vehicle 40).
It is to be understood that the output connector 124 of a given one of the wire harnesses 120 could remain unplugged to any accessory after the initial installation of the accessory control system 100. In any case, the controller 110 is preprogrammed to control via that wire harness 120 (and thus the corresponding output port 112i) a particular type of accessory which is a likely accessory to be installed at the position of that output connector 124. For example, if the light 202 were not originally provided on the vehicle 40, the controller 110 would still be preprogrammed so that the output port 112i; corresponding to the output connector 124 located generally at the top of the roll cage 43 at the front portion thereof controls the light 202 as it is the most likely accessory to be installed at that location. Thus, in the event the user wishes to add a new accessory 200 to the vehicle 40, the user can connect the new accessory 200 to an unused output connector 124 (i.e., not plugged into any accessory) of one of the wire harnesses 120. If the original programming of the controller 110 is such that the unplugged output connector 124 and corresponding output port 112i, of the controller 110 are already associated with a control program Po intended for the new accessory 200, then the user does not need to do anything else to install the new accessory 200 since the correct accessory signals will be transmitted to the new accessory 200. However, in the case where the user wishes to connect a different type of accessory to that unused output connector 124, the accessory control system 100 allows for the controller 110 to be reprogrammed to execute a different control program Pi for controlling the new accessory in association with the corresponding output port 112i (instead of the original control program Po that was originally associated with the output port 112i). As such, the controller 110 can be reprogrammed to transmit different accessory signals through a given one of the wire harnesses 120 to control a different accessory than what was originally intended for the corresponding output port 112i, and the associated wire harness 120. For instance, assuming the user wishes to connect a new accessory (e.g., a speaker, etc.) to the output port 1121 and the controller 110 was originally preprogrammed to control the light 202 through the output port 1121 via execution of the control program P1 (the control program P1 being a program suitable to control the light 202) in association with the output port 1121, the controller 110 can be reprogrammed to execute a control program P2 (the program P2 being a program suitable to control the new accessory and different from the control program P1) in association with the output port 1121 instead of the control program P1. This is illustrated in
Similarly, in the event the user wishes to replace one of the accessories 200 that is connected to the controller 110 for another accessory, the user can disconnect the unwanted accessory from the output connector 124 of the corresponding wire harness 120 and connect the replacement accessory to that output connector 124 in its place. In the same manner as described above, the controller 110 can be reprogrammed, if needed, so that the correct control program Pi is associated with the corresponding output port 112i and associated wire harness 120.
In some embodiments, the controller 110 may be reprogrammed to transmit, through one of its output ports 1121-112x, accessory signals that are based in part on one or more sensor inputs received from the sensors 115, even if the controller 110 was originally preprogrammed to transmit through that same one of the output port 1121-112x accessory signals that were not generated by the controller 110 based on sensor inputs.
In this embodiment, as shown in
In embodiments in which the user input device 130 is a touch screen 130B, the controller 110 may be reprogrammed via the touch screen 130B itself. For instance, a user or a technician may access a “settings” page that defines the associations of the various control programs P1-Px with the output ports 1121-112x and redefine the associations as desired. In some embodiments, if the desired control program is not amongst those stored in the memory unit 135, the user may remotely upload the desired control program onto the memory unit 135 via the touch screen.
In some embodiments, rather than reprogramming the controller 110 by changing the association of the output ports 1121-112x with the control programs P1-Px, the controller 110 could be reprogrammed by modifying the control programs P1-Px themselves to change the accessory signals that are generated by executing the control programs P1-Px. For example, assuming the control program P1 is suitable for controlling the light 202 and the output port 1121 is associated with the control program P1, if the user wishes to connect to the output port 1121 another type of light having different power requirements from the light 202, the user can reprogram the controller 110 by modifying the control program P1 to change an output voltage transmitted through the output port 1121. This reprogramming of the controller 110 can be done for example through the external computer 300.
With reference to
By providing for the controller 110 to be reprogrammed in the manner described above, the user does not need to uninstall a wire harness 120 and install a new wire harness 120 in its place to install a new or replacement accessory as might be required in some conventional systems. As can be understood, this can greatly simplify installing a new accessory, notably as it can prevent the user having to remove body panels 90 from the vehicle 40 to install the new accessory. Instead, the original installation of the wire harnesses 120 and the controller 110 is done once at their initial installation (whether provided at original manufacturing of the vehicle 40 or installed later on). Furthermore, reprogramming the controller 110 in this manner is cost effective compared to some complex systems in which the accessories are designed to be automatically detected by a control unit upon connection thereto in order to use a correct program for control of the accessories.
It is contemplated that the controller 110 and the wire harnesses 120 may be sold as a kit to users as an aftermarket product so that the users can retrofit their vehicles with the accessory control system 100.
Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present technology is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/202,191, filed May 31, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63202191 | May 2021 | US |